Page 6 Football Preivew • Friday , August 30 , 2024
Burnsville
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Blaze hoping that speed thrills
by Mike Shaughnessy SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
It ’ s not exactly classified information that Burnsville will be a decided underdog in some of its football games in 2024 , particularly the two with Farmington and Lakeville North at the end of the regular season .
But the schedule also gives the Blaze some opportunities . They know they didn ’ t take full advantage of their chances last season , losing a couple of games they led in the second half and a couple others where mistakes let the score spiral out of control . Their 2-6 regular season could have been something closer to 4-4 and might have allowed them to not start the playoffs against a team like Centennial , which defeated Burnsville 61-6 on its way to the Class 6A championship .
Winning the winnable games is a priority for the Blaze this season . But how ?
“ I think it ’ ll take a lot more work like this ,” senior quarterback Andrew Dickhausen said following a recent Blaze practice . “ We ’ ve been working more in the off-season , and I think that ’ ll continue . We need to keep grinding and not be satisfied .
“ Last year we had a couple of leads in games we ended up losing . We should have won those games . The difference this year will be us staying aggressive and keeping our foot on the gas .”
Much like last season ,
Burnsville looking for big plays from skill positions
Photo by Mike Shaughnessy
Burnsville football players work out at Bob Pates Stadium in preparation for their season opener at Rochester Mayo on Aug . 30 .
the Blaze have several athletes capable of explosive plays . It starts with junior Caleb Kamara , a state medalist sprinter in track and field who was Burnsville ’ s leading rusher last season . He will return to the backfield . Also returning is senior wide receiver Dane Heinen , and head coach Vince Varpness said there are several other younger receivers likely to get on the field .
Burnsville won ’ t be as deep as some of the teams it will play , so there will be times the Blaze will try to run the ball to control the clock and keep their players from being overextended .
“ As long as I ’ m here , we ’ ll never be a pass-first team ,” Varpness said . “ But our skill-position players are really athletic , so we ’ ll definitely be a little more diverse . We have depth at the skill positions , which is nice , but like everybody else we could use a few more linemen .”
Joseph Santos , a 295-pound senior , is the top returning offensive lineman . “ He has the experience to be like a player-coach , which helps everybody else out there ,” Varpness said . “ We have some younger guys who are still learning the ropes , but they ’ ll get there .
“ The nice thing is we don ’ t have any bigger , slower guys ( on the offensive line ). We have guys with decent feet .”
Among Burnsville ’ s off-season priorities is shoring up a defense that allowed almost 50 points
Schedule
( Games 7 p . m . Fridays unless noted ) Aug . 30 : at Rochester Mayo Sept . 6 : Park of Cottage Grove Sept . 13 : at Roseville Sept . 20 : Hopkins ( 5 p . m .) Sept . 26 ( Thurs .): at Eastview ( 6 p . m .) Oct . 3 ( Thurs .): Buffalo ( 6 p . m .) Oct . 11 : at Farmington Oct . 17 ( Thurs .): Lakeville North ( noon )
a game in last year ’ s season-ending five-game losing streak . The Blaze will depend on returnees such as seniors Ben Watson ( linebacker ), Jameson Joubert ( linebacker ), Rachon
Lewis ( defensive end ) and Demetrius Tucker ( safety ).
“ We ’ ve got a pretty fast group , and I think that will help us ,” said Watson , who added that a realistic goal for Burnsville this season would be to host a section playoff game .
If the Blaze are able to hold leads , that might not be as far-fetched as some probably think .
Early games big for Blaze
If the 2023 season is an indication , the first four games could tell a lot about Burnsville ’ s 2024 season .
Last year the Blaze started against Rochester Mayo , Park of Cottage Grove , Roseville and Hopkins . Burnsville led all four See Blaze , 22A
Photo by Mike Shaughnessy
Aug . 19 was the first day high school football teams were allowed to practice in full pads , and Blaze players took the opportunity to get a little contact in .