Burgfan Blog

If you're a BurgFan, then this weekend brought you plenty to cheer about. First the Pirate football team captured their 6th consecutive SOC championship trophy by beating West 41-7. Then, the Lady Pirate volleyball team squared off in the regional championship against Berlin Hiland on Saturday in Logan. Photo: Ruth Boll The lady Pirate volleyball team found themselves in a rare place Saturday as they fell behind Berlin two sets in the best of five series. Coming in they had an amazing 73 set win streak. To put that into perspective, they hadn't lost a set the entire season, let alone a match. The Lady Pirates could've folded in, but Coach Allen Perry called a timeout in the third set and composed his troops; and in the third set, the Pirates rallied for a 26-24 set. When that happened, the light bulb went off, and the Pirates began to flex their muscles. The next two sets were in dominating fashion. 25-20, and 15-5. This year the Pirates have been led ...

The Pirates traveled to Lucasville to take on the Valley Indians last Friday night and were able to put up plenty of points while also keeping Valley from scoring as well. The front four defensive lineman have continued to get better. Luke Miller, Seth Denhey, Brady Warner, and Jackson Kouns have used their strength and speed to keep opposing teams from getting to the linebackers, allowing them to come free and make tackles for minimal to no gain. Linebacker Lane Charles had a nice game as he came free a couple of times to make some really strong tackles. Offensive Goes Earlier in the year, I reported that the Pirates needed desperately to move the ball to take pressure off the defense. Burg’s offense has answered the bell. Since Senior Evan Horsley moved to the QB position, the Pirates have averaged close to 40 points a game. The Pirates have been able to get the ball out to their athletes and keep opposing defenses on their toes. Something evident last Friday, as LJ Payton was ab...

If you like offense, then Friday's Burg vs Waverly matchup was the game for you. Burg has been dominating the SOC for several years now. Waverly wanted desperately to end the domination by bringing their high powered offense into Ed Miller stadium and ruin Homecoming for the Pirates. The Pirates were having nothing of it. Opposing teams that face Waverly can't stop Shoemaker, they just have to contain him. I suppose one could say that the Pirates did that, as they forced Waverly to punt a couple of times, but he still managed to rack up a lot of yards and score four touchdowns. But.... truly the night belonged to the Pirate offense and Senior Makaya Matthews. The "Hedgehog" had around 300 total offensive yards with 267 coming on the ground and 3 touchdowns. The Pirates offensive line was outstanding as they plowed rushing lanes for all three senior backs. Hunter Ruby had 72 yards rushing on the night to go along with his 66 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns, and QB...

The Pirates probably had a couple of check marks they wanted to check off their list when they went into last Friday’s contest against Oak Hill. One of the items, to mark off the list, would be could the Pirates get physical enough to stifle a down hill running game. Oak Hill rarely throws the ball, mostly they run right off tackle using their strong line to protect their backs. Pirates not only checked that off the list, they completely dominated the line of scrimmage on the defensive side of the ball. Oak Hill was only able to rush for 71 yards the entire night. Another mark needed to be checked off was being consistent in moving the ball without turnovers or penalties. Senior QB Evan Horsley was called upon to provide some experience for the Pirates. The Burg amassed over 400 yards and lit up the scoreboard with 55 unanswered points.  Evan Horsley accounted for all but two scores by either running, or passing the pigskin. Senior Corey Maxie and Sophomore Aaron Masters finish...

The Pirates can’t seem to find breathing room on their schedule, and such was the case again as Burg found themselves in a crucial battle against SOC foe Minford last Friday night. For once, the air felt cool and crisp, perfect weather for a high school football game. Marred by frequent yellow flags on both sides of the ball which basically hindered the flow of the game, the Pirates were able to come away with an all important conference victory against the falcons. Minford came into the contest with one of the top offenses in the area. Their big play capability was evident immediately as Minford running back Wiget found a hole and bursted towards the end zone. It looked as if he was going to score rather easily but Senior Makaya Matthews caught up from behind and stripped the ball, resulting in a turnover as the ball went out of the back of the end zone for a touchback. For the next quarter in a half, penalties plagued both teams as neither could get going offensively, but the s...

The Wheelersburg Pirates have been through a gauntlet of competition in the first part of the season which finally comes to an end as the Pirates lose last week to rival Jackson. Like the Ironton game, the score didn’t indicate the effort that the Pirates gave, but once again another D3, 4-0 team found their way on the winning side. Burg’s schedule is considered 10th strongest in Division 5. The Pirates would like to take a breather but they open up with the Minford Falcons this Friday, and Minford holds an unblemished record. The falcons have two impact players on the offensive side of the ball, something the Pirates are probably getting tired of trying to defend.  If anything proves true, their experience against such an attack should put them in a more favorable advantage compared to the opponents Minford has faced so far. In order to take down the falcons, the Pirates must put points on the board. If the Pirates can’t control the time of possession, they may be heading back...