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Dec 27, 2023

Capuchino knocks off Burlingame in football season opener

Sports Editor Capuchino running back Lucas Zayac bulls his way into the end zone from a yard out. Zayac finished the game with 219 total yards, including 150 yards rushing on 21 carries, and scored

Sports Editor

Capuchino running back Lucas Zayac bulls his way into the end zone from a yard out. Zayac finished the game with 219 total yards, including 150 yards rushing on 21 carries, and scored three touchdowns in the Mustangs’ 20-19 win over Burlingame.

Burlingame’s Sam Felton breaks off a 59-yard touchdown run to put the Panthers up 10-0 late in the first quarter.

It should come as no surprise that there were some opening-night hiccups when the Capuchino made the short drive to Burlingame to kick off the 2023 football season.

There were issues with the scoreboard at Burlingame’s stadium — it didn’t work. Then there was some sloppy play on both sides, as the Mustangs struggled to hold on to the ball. Burlingame, other than a lightning bolt touchdown, struggled to move the ball. In opportune penalties on both sides thwarted drives.

And early in the second quarter, it looked like it was going to be a Burlingame waltz as the Panthers built a 16-0 lead less than a minute into the second quarter.

But Capuchino battled back, outscoring the Burlingame 20-3 the rest of the way to pull out a 20-19 victory.

When was the last time Capuchino beat Burlingame?

“You tell me,” said Capuchino coach Jay Oca. “I’ve only been here six years.”

Turns out the Mustangs were 0-9 against the Panthers since 2004, including a 31-21 loss last season.

Things were trending toward another loss Friday night, but the Mustangs righted the ship after a shaky start and then outplayed Burlingame over the final three quarters.

“It was huge,” Capuchino running back Lucas Zayac said of the win. “We were dead at first.”

That was before Zayac got things going. The junior running back was nearly unstoppable as he churned out 219 yards of offense and scored all three of the Mustangs’ touchdowns, rushing for 150 yards on 21 carries.

“Give credit to my O-line,” Zayac said. “They make me look good.”

He also caught five passes for 69 more yards.

“We call him ‘Lucas McCaffery,’” Oca said, referring to the multi-purpose San Francisco 49ers running back.

“[Zayac] can do it all.”

It was a combination catch-and-run that gave the Mustangs their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter. And living up to his trick-play reputation, Oca went all in with a hook-and-ladder play on third-and-long at the Burlingame 27-yard. Arceo hit Travis Ciardella on a quick button hook at the 20. He then flipped the ball backward to Zayac, who got the right corner and went 25 yards for the score and a 20-19 lead with just over 10 minutes left in the game.

After forcing the Panthers to go three-and-out on their next possession, Capuchino took over at its own 7-yard line and embarked on a game-ending, eight-minute drive that ended with a kneel down at the Burlingame 2 to end the game.

On their last drive, the Mustangs used 14 plays and earned six first downs on that drive alone.

Burlingame, on the other hand, managed just three first downs for the game.

“Have to give Cap all the credit in the world. Cap is a good football team,” said Burlingame head coach John Philipopoulos. “We were in total control of the football game and we gave the game away. In the second, half they took control of the game.”

Early on, it was all Burlingame. The Panthers kicked off to start the game and it was their defense that made the first big play — on the first play of the game. Capuchino quarterback Brandon Arceo dropped back to pass on the first play from scrimmage, only to be sacked and stripped of the ball, which was recovered by Burlingame’s Bradley Evars at the Capuchino

14.

The Mustangs’ defense, however, forced Burlingame to settle for a 30-yard Eddie Gill field goal.

Capuchino coughed the ball up on its next possession at midfield, with Burlingame’s Moises Flores Castro falling on the loose ball. Again, the Capuchino defense stood tall, forcing a punt.

Capuchino proceeded to punt the ball right back and with under a minute to play in the opening quarter, the Panthers pushed their lead to 10-0 following a 59-yard touchdown bolt from Sam Felton. The Panthers got another strip-sack deep in Capuchino territory, with Felton scoring from 4 yards out to put the Panthers up 16-0 with 11:41 left in the first half.

But then Capuchino’s offense finally came alive. The Mustangs went 58 yards on 11 plays, culminating with a Zayac 1-yard plunge.

The Mustangs then did what they do best — recover an onside kick that gave them the ball at the Burlingame 33. Two plays later, Zayac went in from 26 yards out to cut the Burlingame lead to 16-14 at the half.

Burlingame put together its best drive of the game to start the third quarter. After recovering a Capuchino onside kick attempt at midfield, the Panthers drove down to the Capuchino 8-yard line on 10 plays before the drive stalled and Gill kicked a 25-yard field goal to push the Panthers’ lead to 19-14.

After that, it was all Capuchino as Burlingame ran just three more plays offensively for the game.

All told, the Capuchino defense shut down the Panthers, holding them to just 135 yards of offense, while the Mustangs racked up 307 yards.

“That’s coach Tim Netane who came up with the (defensive) game plan,” Oca said. “I’m just so proud of my coaching staff and these kids. We came in and expect to win. We have to have that mentality.”

Sports Editor

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