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Championship drive comes up short for Burbank football

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CHINO — So close a few times, the Burbank High football team reached back for more magic in the form of a big offensive play or a key takeaway in Friday evening’s CIF Southern Section Division VII semifinals.

A formula that had guided the Bulldogs to the program’s first Pacific League title since 2009 and into the division’s final four did not work versus host Chino Don Lugo.

Burbank never tied the Conquistadores and couldn’t get a handle on senior running back Khoury Bethley, who scored four touchdowns and exacted revenge in a 28-7 victory for Don Lugo.

With the win, Don Lugo (11-2) earned its payback after Burbank humbled it in last season’s Division VIII semifinals, 44-14, as the Bulldogs advanced to the championship game.

The loss ends Burbank’s nine-game winning streak and caps a still wonderful season for the Bulldogs, who finished 10-3 and found a way back to the semifinals despite the loss of several seniors and a seasoned head coach.

“All these kids could have left you know,” an emotional Burbank first-year coach Adam Colman said. “They could have gone to another program, another school or played a different sport. They stuck around and trusted me and that means the world to me and I love them for it.”

The contest turned for Burbank in a seven-play sequence.

The Bulldogs trailed, 14-7, late in the third quarter but had the Conquistadores on the ropes.

Burbank drove to the Don Lugo eight-yard line and had second and goal when a bad snap forced Bulldogs quarterback Matthew Porras to dive on the ball for an eight-yard loss.

The gaffe was followed by a false start and an incompletion, which gave Burbank a fourth and goal on the 21 with 1:20 left in the third.

Without senior kicker Andrew Rovira, who suffered a high ankle sprain the previous game, the Bulldogs didn’t have a field goal option.

That void was felt when Porras was dropped for a 13-yard sack and Burbank turned the ball over on downs with 1:01 left in the third quarter.

Two plays later, the spectacular Bethley delivered a back-breaker when he turned a five-yard pass in the flat into a 63-yard touchdown down the sideline as the senior broke two tackles en route to the end zone.

The touchdown came on the final play of the third quarter and put Burbank behind, 21-7.

“Our goal was to win CIF and we didn’t do it,” said Porras, who rushed 18 times for 44 yards and completed 11 of 27 passes for 106 yards with one touchdown and one interception. “Don Lugo was really good, really disciplined and they outplayed us at big moments.”

Bethley rushed 19 times for 109 yards and three touchdowns and hauled in two receptions for another 78 yards and one score.

Burbank didn’t cross midfield on its next two offensive possessions and Bethley ended all hope when he broke off a 12-yard touchdown run with 1:56 remaining to give Don Lugo a 21-point lead.

“Personally, you’re damn right,” Don Lugo coach Greg Gano said when asked if there was a revenge factor. “We’re only human and [Burbank] kicked the crap out of us last year. We knew what we had to do and we did it.”

Bethley put Don Lugo ahead, 14-0, after one quarter.

The senior opened the scoring with a six-yard touchdown run that push the home team ahead, 7-0, with 4:17 left in the first.

After Daniel Mungia intercepted Porras at midfield at 2:21 in the first quarter for the game’s lone turnover, Bethley scored two plays later on a 43-yard run that gave Don Lugo a two-touchdown advantage.

Burbank’s only score was a beauty when Porras hit Chadz Vang (four catches for 32 yards) on a 25-yard touchdown with 3:48 left in the first half. Sophomore Oaklee Spens booted a successful point-after to bring Burbank within 14-7.

The Bulldogs drove to the Don Lugo 20 right before the end of the half, but a holding call pushed Burbank back to the 30. Without a kicker, Burbank opted for a long pass that fell incomplete on the half’s final play.

Erik Harutyunyan hauled in three catches for 47 yards, while Darnell Williams rushed 14 times for 60 yards. Anthony Lira and Drew Pendleton added a sack each on defense.

“We just didn’t get it done,” Burbank senior defensive end Karo Koshkaryan said. “That’s about it. We didn’t execute. We didn’t make enough plays. Don Lugo came up and got it done and we didn’t.”

andrew.campa@latimes.com

Twitter: @campadresports

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