Westosha falls to Woodstock North
By Jason Arndt
Editor
Behind a younger offensive line, Westosha Central High School quarterback Zach Burzawa did what he could to rally the Falcons in his second career start, but was not enough to ward of visiting Woodstock North Aug. 24.
The Falcons, down 21-0 after three quarters, attempted a fourth quarter comeback with three touchdowns thrown by Burzawa to Cam Krueger.
Unfortunately for Westosha Central, Woodstock North had an answer for every touchdown as the Illinois school won 42-20.
With the loss, Westosha Central dropped to 0-2, but coach Tyson Mengel hopes to see his squad learn from the loss as the Falcons enter Southern Lakes Conference play at Elkhorn.
“We have a really young offensive line, we have one returning starter and he is only a junior,” Mengel said.
Meanwhile, for Burzawa, he completed 15 of 30 passes for 248 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.
Krueger finished with seven catches for a game-high 217 yards.
Burzawa, according to Mengel, was forced into action after Adam Simmons suffered a torn thumb ligament in his throwing hand before the season opener at Racine Case.
“(Simmons) tore a tendon in his thumb, can’t grip a football, he had to get surgery,” said Mengel. “This is his first game back, so the next guy up was Zach.”
Considering Burzawa had not taken snaps since his sophomore season, Mengel came away impressed with his senior, but acknowledged he is undergoing a learning curve.
“I love what he does on the field,” he said. “It is not so much learning the plays, it is about having confidence in himself.”
Woodstock North, meanwhile, jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
After the Falcons went three and out to open the contest, the Thunder produced a scoring drive of more than two minutes, capped off by an Ed Flores 16-yard run with 7:17 left in the first quarter.
On the next possession, with five minutes left, Burzawa had his pass intercepted by Elijah Pena as he rolled to his right on a 3rd and 12 at their own 30 yard line.
Elijah Pena, who amassed 63 yards rushing on eight carries, ran for 4 yard run touchdown to pull Woodstock North ahead 14-0.
The Thunder extended its lead in the second quarter, where Carter Coalson scored on a 47-yard haul from quarterback Ryan Zinnen, who finished with five completions for 88 yards.
Last ditch effort
In the first play of the fourth quarter, Burzawa opened with his first of three touchdowns to Cam Krueger, who made an 82-yard score.
After a Kelsey Gross point after touchdown, the Falcons trimmed the Woodstock North lead to 21-7, but the Thunder had an answer.
Flores, who had 24 carries for a game-high 128 yards, responded with a 1-yard touchdown.
After the kickoff, Burzawa answered with a 69-yard pass to Krueger to trim the Thunder lead to 28-14.
More than three minutes later, the Thunder added another touchdown, courtesy of a Flores 3-yard touchdown reception from Ryan Zinnen at 6:15.
Woodstock North extended its lead to 42-14 on a 10-yard Andrew Pena run.
Burzawa, in a last ditch effort, found Krueger in double coverage, but the receiver hauled it in for a 29-yard touchdown.
For Burzawa, he had confidence in Krueger, crediting his speed.
“Cam is quick and I kept feeding him the ball,” he said.
According to Woodstock North coach Jeff Schroeder, Krueger showcased his athleticism, and believes Burzawa started developing confidence as the game progressed.
“(Cam) is a heck of a football player, we got to pressure on the quarterback, and I think (Burzawa) started getting more confident as the game went on,” said Schroeder.