Huskies fall to Little Snake River

It was not the Huskies’ day Saturday in the state championship game against Little Snake River. 

Burlington struggled to get its offense going in the face of the Rattlers’ defense, losing 67-16. 

“That was a tough one for us. Not only because of the score, but more knowing that we weren’t able to play the way we are capable of,” said Coach Trent Aagard. “However, I thought we came out the second half and played much better and showed some Husky pride. Little Snake is a very good team. They do a great job down there. Right now, they are the team everyone is chasing. Once they get up on you, it’s really hard to get back in the game.” 

Offensively, the Huskies ended with just 164 positive yards, with 98 via the air and 63 from their special teams. Burlington’s two touchdowns came in the third quarter with a pass from Kole Walker to Chase Bassett, who was able to shake off his defender and get into the end zone, and a 63 yard punt return from Paul McNiven and two successful PATs from Matt Tempany. 

Defensively, the Huskies had just under 50 tackles, with 11 solo stops, 36 assisted tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 3 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery. 

“We weren’t able to execute well enough to keep it close. I needed to have a better plan in place to deal with the pressure that Snake puts on the team,” Aagard said. “It takes a lot of hard work and want to make it to the championship. I know we have had some success getting there recently, but it is not something to be taken for granted. Every year it’s been a different type of team and this year was no exception. I was proud of the way they battled this year even when they were down. I’m also proud of the team leadership that developed over the season. After losing so many guys last year there was definitely a void. I’m impressed that we had guys at every grade level step up and fill some of those shoes. I’m super proud of the season these guys put together. They worked hard all year and improved throughout the season.”

Burlington will lose two seniors, Paul McNiven and Chute Cauffman. “They are both outstanding young men,” said Aagard. “Chute has been with us his whole high school career and for much of that time the only representative of his class. Chute is a great teammate; he always has the team and his teammates best interest at heart. He worked super hard over the summers to get stronger and faster. He really stepped up and did a great job at center for us this year. It’s been a pleasure watching him grow and improve over his career. He’s the kind of kid anyone would be proud to claim.

“Paul was one and done for our team. Going into the year I didn’t know too much about him. I wish that we could have had him for four years. Paul is also a great teammate and person. I didn’t know how fast he would pick up the game, but I was pleasantly surprised. He was an impactful player for us this year and was a natural athlete on the field. He was fun to work with and I was very glad he decided to give football a try. Both these guys will be missed, but I’m sure they’ll go onto much bigger and better things,” ended Aagard. 

Little Snake River 67, Burlington

RUSHING – Burlington 17-3 (Paul McNiven, 4-13). 

PASSING – Burlington 17-of-26 for 98 yards (Kole Walker, 15-of-22 for 94 yards). 

RECEIVING – James McNiven, 5 catches for 44 yards; Matt Tempany, 5-43; P. McNiven, 3-11. 

DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS – Trigdon Aagard led the Huskies with 14 defensive points (4 solo tackles and 6 assisted tackles), Walker was close behind with 11 points, (2 solo tackles, 7 assisted tackles), Parker Cook had 10 points (2 solo tackles, 3 assisted tackles and 1 forced fumble)