Huskies defeat Little Snake River at home

Another big win for the Huskies has secured their spot in the State Championship game in Laramie this weekend. Little Snake River has been a constant rival for Burlington. They showed up once again to play. “Little Snake is a program that I have a lot of respect for,” said Coach Trent Aagard. “We have been through some big battles over the years. Coming into this game, they were still the champs. It is never easy to beat a champion, but I’m pleased with the way we came out and competed. There was a lot on the line, and I liked the way we came out early and played.” 

Early was right, as Kole Walker took the ball for a 23-yard run in the first play, which set up Parker Cook on the second play for a 13-yard run into the end zone. Walker successfully kicked the point after, and the Huskies were up eight points in the first 30 seconds of the game. With the strong start, they pushed forward racking up a total of 422 yards on offense. Walker was a huge contributor with 172 yards on the ground and 123 yards in the air, which resulted in four touchdowns for the senior. Matt Tempany added in two touchdowns and Cook, Carsten Schlenker and Chase Bassett added in one.  

“LSR had made some adjustments from week 1, so we had to attack them a little differently. I thought our blocking got better as the game went on and Kole ran and threw the ball really well. Carsten and Matt had some spectacular catches, so that made it tough on LSR. Parker ran hard and Chase and Taft (Winters) had some important plays for us. LSR did a good job of making us earn it, but I really like the way our guys played together and got it done.” 

Burlington was strong on defense with 55 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, five pass breakups, four fumble recoveries, an interception and a blocked kick. “Defensively you need to be able to play LSR physically and I thought we were able to do that. Their attack has had to change and morph a little this season, but they still have some real athletes that you have to deal with. I thought Taft, James (McNiven), Parker and Teddy (Ball) did a good job of rushing and making it difficult on their QB. Chase, Kole, Matt and Carsten did a good job of keeping things in front of them and making competitions difficult. We were physical to the ball. LSR had some big plays, but I think we did a good job of not letting that shake us.” 

The Husky’s kicking game was pretty impressive with eight successful kicking PATs, two from Walker and six from Schlenker, resulting in an additional 16 points. “Kicking was awesome this week, PATS were consistent and good. We were able to get three extra possessions off kickoffs, so that played a big factor in how the game went.

It was a good team effort against a team that has been THAT team for us. I’m excited for our guys and the chance they have to play in Laramie this weekend.” 

Burlington will play Casper Christian in the State Championship 1A six Man game on Saturday, with a kickoff at 10 a.m. The two teams don’t have very much history playing each other and have not met this season. “They have had some big wins this season. They have some good athletes and seem to really air the ball out. We will have to be on our game to get them off the field. They are going to Laramie for a reason, so we will need a good week of practice and focus to get ready for them. This week is about putting the finishing touches on our season, and we are excited for the opportunity to play again,” said Aagard. 

BURLINGTON 72, LITTLE SNAKE RIVER 26

RUSHING – Burlington 24-237 (Kole Walker, 17-172 and 4 TD’s; Carsten Schlenker, 1-39; Parker Cook, 4-25 and 1 TD). PASSING – Burlington 9-of-20 for 159 yards (Walker, 6-of-15 for 123 yards and 3 TDs). RECEIVING – Matt Tempany, 4 catches for 67 yards and 2 TDs; Schlenker, 3 catches for 65 yards and 1 TD. 

DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS – Chase Bassett led the Huskies with 38 points (8 solo tackles, 1 assisted tackle, 3 pass breakups and 3 fumble recoveries), Schlenker followed with 28 points (5 solo tackles, 3 assisted tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass breakup, 1 interception and 1 blocked kick) and Walker with 19 points (6 solo tackles, 7 assisted tackles).