BURLINGTON — Kevin Garrison rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns and Alex Cate added 85 yards and a pair of scores as the Burlington Seahorses shutout the Mt. Mansfield Union Cougars 27-0 on Friday night on Buck Hard Field.
Burlington took control of the game early, scoring on their first two possessions. Taking over after the opening kickoff at their own 35 BHS marched 65 yards in eight plays with Garrison romping 40 yards on the first play from scrimmage and Cate carrying three times for 26 yards with Garrison finishing the drive with a two yard run for a 6-0 edge.
After MMU gained a first down on their first possession they fumbled the ball away at their own 48 and Burlington took seven plays to find pay dirt, with Cate running it in from eight yards out. Garrison’s two point conversion run gave the Seahorses a 14-0 lead with 3:27 left in the quarter.
After each team went three and out on their next possession MMU began to move the ball, using the arm of quarterback Asa Carlson and the legs of running back Ray Wilson to march 70 yards in eleven plays to the Burlington four. But the drive stalled and Burlington took the ball back. The Seahorses then drove 93 yards on 13 plays with Garrison cashing in the score from eight yards away and adding the extra point kick for a 21-0 lead.
MMU mounted one more first half drive penetrating to the Burlington 35 before Garrison intercepted Carlson’s pass in the final minute of the half.
Taking the ball to begin the second half the Cougars mounted another drive reaching the Seahorse 14, but again the drive stalled an BHS took over on downs … this time Burlington marched 73 yards in 11 plays with Cate scoring from three yards out for a 27-0 edge. MMU made one more thrust into Burlington territoty marching to the ten in the fourth quarter but the drive again came up short of the goal line.
For BHS Garrison finished with 120 yards on 21 carries while Cate added 17 carries for 85. BHS quarterback Duncan MacDonald completed six of 10 passes for 99 yards. Carlson completed 20 of 49 throws for 189 yards and Wilson carried 17 times for 69 yards in the loss for MMU.
With the win BHS is 4-1. MMU slips to 2-3.