# – denotes current San Antonio South Side Sports area ranking

 

SATURDAY

 

#11 Burbank (2-2, 1-1) vs. #12 Jefferson (1-4, 1-2) at Alamo Stadium, 7 p.m.

This might be the closest District 28-5A game of the weekend, even if it didn’t seem that way at midweek. The marquee value is Jefferson’s offense against Burbank’s defense.

I don’t think either unit will dominate, though. So, as often happens in this type of situation, it may come down to which is stronger between Burbank’s offense and Jefferson’s defense.

Burbank may have the advantage there with poised senior quarterback Daniel Tello. Tello had shouldered a disproportionate share of the offensive load, until last Friday’s 18-7 win over McCollum when Rubyn Salazar ran for a team-high 119 yards (Tello accounted for 110).

That two-pronged threat makes Burbank more dangerous. The Bulldogs didn’t need to throw much against the Cowboys.

Defensively, the Bulldogs held McCollum to 229 total yards and forced five turnovers.

Jefferson has seemed to make good progress each of the last three weeks, despite falling 55-34 to district-leading Sam Houston last Saturday. That may have been the Mustangs’ best offensive showing. The defense had stepped forward a week earlier in a 15-14 win over Lanier.

One encouraging sign for Jefferson was that Eric Flores accepted a larger share of the ballcarrying load to complement standout back Jesse Flores. Weston Redding threw for 74 yards.

The Mustangs will need to be able to throw well enough to keep the defense off the field, which puts the onus on the offensive line. Jefferson’s defense will be thankful not to be facing explosive Sam Houston, but must keep Tello contained as best it can.

This could be a key game for both teams in terms of their playoff hopes.

Jefferson won the first four game in the series and has dominated since. The Bulldogs’ win last year snapped a five-game losing streak in the series (including a forfeit in 2008).

Series leader (record): Jefferson (27-5). 2013 score: Burbank 40, Jefferson 33. 2014 favorite: Burbank.