2024 Pigskin & Hoops Preview: Burligame Bearcats Football

TEAM: Burlingame Bearcats

CLASSIFICATION: 8-Man Division 2 (down from 8-Man 1)

LEAGUE: Lyon County League

COLORS: Purple & White

SOCIAL MEDIA: @BGAME_Bearcats on Twitter, burlingamefootball.net

HEAD COACH: Jeff Slater (11th season, 80-24)

2023 RECORD: 5-4 (lost in first round of 8-Man Division 1 playoffs)

2023 IN REVIEW

A young Burlingame squad acquitted itself well against one of the toughest schedules in 8-Man football. The Bearcats cruised to season opening victories against Lyon County League foes Marais des Cygnes Valley, Lebo, and Hartford prior to the start of district play. But their district featured three teams who reached at least the sectional round of the 8-Man Division 1 playoffs, and the Bearcats took losses against Chase County, Cair Paravel, and eventual state champions Lyndon. Wins against Madison and Maranatha Academy were enough to send the Bearcats back to the playoffs, but they fell to West Elk, another team that made sectionals, in their first round contest, marking the first time since 2019 they failed to win at least one playoff game.

KEY DEPARTURES

It was a small senior class for the Bearcats last season, and two seniors who made an impact were Cooper Burns, a second-team All-League defensive lineman, and Jose Arevalo, who was the first-team All-Class kicker from KSHSAA Covered and an honorable mention All-League selection on the offensive and defensive lines.

TOP RETURNERS

Few QB-receiver combos in the whole state were as prolific as the connection between JT Tyson and Dane Winters. More than half of Tyson’s 100 completions on the season went to Winters, who hauled in 58 balls for 710 yards and 13 TDs through the air. Winters holds the single-season and career school records for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns, and is a threat in the running game as well with 11 career scores on the ground. Tyson accounted for 31 touchdowns – 10 rushing and 21 passing – and nearly 1900 yards of total offense in 2023. Both Tyson and Winters were first-team All-League picks on offense and defense (Tyson at linebacker and Winters in the secondary) and are the foundation for Burlingame’s high hopes this season as they enter their senior campaigns. Fellow senior Timmy Roberts was a first-team All-League selection at tight end and second-team at linebacker, but moves to running back and defensive end this year in hopes that he will be helpful to the Bearcats’ short-yardage offense and more productive defensively at a position where he shone as a sophomore. Coach Slater is excited about his experienced offensive line this season, and the man in the middle is senior Parker Haid, who was first-team All-League at center in 2023. Haid will also bookend Roberts at defensive end on the other side of the trenches.

2024 SCHEDULE:

9/6 @ Northern Heights

9/13 vs Waverly

9/20 vs Madison

9/27 @ Centre-Lost Springs 

10/4 vs Lebo

10/11 @ Hartford

10/18 vs Reno County Homeschool

10/25 vs Rural Vista

Lyon County League, District game

2024 OUTLOOK

Sometimes you have to take a step back to take a step forward. 2023 represented a bit of a step back for a Burlingame program that had reached sub-state with a veteran-laden roster the year before. But with a younger bunch last season, the Bearcats learned a great deal from their difficult schedule, and saw bonafide stars emerge in Tyson and Winters. Coach Slater plans to crank up the intensity in practices to try to get the most out of this more-experienced roster and push them towards another deep playoff run. They’ll be the favorites in their district this season as they move down from 8-Man Division 1 to Division 2. Lebo and Hartford will provide resistance as Lyon County League rivals in district play, but the Bearcats blew them out last season. With starters returning at 11 of a possible 16 positions on either side of the ball, this is one of the most talented teams in 8-Man Division 2, and they are a real threat to make it all the way to Newton for the state championship.

FROM THE COACH’S HEADSET 

“The Bearcats have big goals in 2024 as this senior class has won big at every level since they were first and second graders. We need to build strength in the weight room to allow us to be more physical, better tacklers, and not get pushed around. We drop down to Division 2 this year which definitely presents challenges with teams like Axtell, Frankfort, and Hanover, but we are excited for a new schedule, and new competition dropping down to Division 2. Our goals as always are to get off to a good start and win the season opener. We want to win a league championship for the third straight year, and we want to make a deep run in November and give ourselves a shot at making it to Newton. We will need to improve our team speed and team toughness this offseason to give ourselves a chance at those goals.” – Jeff Slater

— Dan Lucero

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