FOOTBALL: Tello reaps payoff for persistence, hard work
Burbank senior Daniel Tello ran for 220 yards and passed for 130 against Jefferson.
Burbank erupts for win over Jefferson
AREA TEAMS INCLUDED: Burbank, Jefferson.
Burbank senior Daniel Tello ran for 220 yards and passed for 130 against Jefferson.
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After losing nearly all of last season to a concussion and a knee injury, Burbank senior quarterback Daniel Tello knows the value of perseverance.
This year, there has been tangible for rewards on the field for Tello’s faith and patience. The third-year quarterback amassed 350 yards of total offense and accounted for three touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 46-34 victory over Jefferson in a District 28-5A game at Alamo Stadium.
“It gives us a lot of confidence that we’re getting where we want to be,” Tello said. “I’m happy to have this very good feeling. I want to have it again.”
Burbank (3-2, 2-1) may have taken a big step toward the playoffs with the victory. The point total was the Bulldogs’ highest in the last five seasons.
“The boys came out and played well,” Burbank coach Mark Perez said. “They played with a lot of heart.”
Jefferson (1-5, 1-3) trailed by 32 points early in the fourth quarter, but forced three turnovers to slice 20 off the final margin. In the first half, the Mustangs were plagued by two turnovers and seven penalties.
Their closing flourish included a 40-yard touchdown run from Jesse Flores (204 yards, 24 carries), a 13-yard touchdown pass from Weston Redding to Drew Lopez and a 17-yard pass to Henry Bocko (96 yards, 4 receptions) for his second score of the game. Time expired as Bocko made a wide-open catch in the end zone.
Burbank senior Tru Bradford produced an interception on the game’s first play. Four plays later, the Bulldogs scored on a one-yard run from Rubyn Salazar (97 yards, 20 attempts).
The Mustangs tied it 7-7 with 2:16 left in the opening quarter. Redding scored on a five-yard keeper.
Exactly a minute later, Burbank was in the end zone again as Tello dashed 30 yards for the score.
Tello, who ran for 196 yards in the first half and 220 total, tacked on an 11-yard rushing touchdown with 7:47 until halftime. It capped a 79-yard, 10-play drive. He threw a short pass to the left flat on the Bulldogs’ next possession, which Jordan Santos (87 yards, 3 receptions) turned into a 48-yard score with a slick pivot move as he made the catch.
With the Mustangs trailing 28-7, Bocko made two catches on the ensuing drive for 69 yards. The last 59 came on a tight-end screen that he took to the house.
Salazar concluded the first-half scoring with a one-yard dive 32 seconds before halftime. The back has taken on an increased role in the Bulldogs’ offense the last two weeks. He finished with three touchdowns and 37 reception yards.
“Coach (James) McCall has given me the chance to play more,” Salazar said of Burbank’s offensive coordinator. “I’ve been asking.”
Another example of patience rewarded.
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