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Indians still atop league after win

Wiggan passes milestone in Burroughs' 28-13 Pacific League win against Arcadia.

October 28, 2006|By Rick Assad

MEMORIAL FIELD — It's hard to imagine a first-place team as the little team that could, but Burroughs High sees itself this way.

That was evident Friday, as the Indians knocked off Arcadia, 28-13, at Memorial Field in a Pacific League game.

Undersized at several key positions, the Indians remain the top dog in the league and will play Pasadena next week.

"We're the type of team that needs to be fundamentally sound," Burroughs Coach Keith Knoop said. "We're just not very big, so we have to make sure that we don't make mistakes."

Ranked No. 1 in the CIF Southern Section Central Division, the Indians turned the ball over three times — two on interceptions by quarterback Corey Howard.

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Burroughs (7-1, 5-0 in league) is riding a five-game winning streak.

Burroughs senior running back Joe Wiggan scored three touchdowns — two in the opening half, and finished with a game-best 237 yards. Wiggan carried the ball 35 times and seemed to get stronger as the night wore on.

"I take a lot of hits, but that doesn't bother me," said Wiggan, who moved into second for yardage in a season with 1,379 yards, surpassing Thomas Kyle's 1,364 set last season.

At 5-feet-10, 180 pounds, Wiggan likes running in traffic and is tough and elusive.

"When I run, I always keep my head down, lower my shoulder pads and keep my feet moving," he said. "I'm always driving for extra yards."

Wiggan's 25-yard scoring burst with 2:16 left in the game gave the Indians a 15-point lead.

"We're not looking past any team," Wiggan said. "We're trying to knock on one door at a time. I just think about the next game, and not look ahead."

Burroughs went up, 7-0, with 7:59 left in the opening quarter when senior linebacker Keith Recchia stripped Arcadia junior running back Troy Ahmaz of the ball and raced 60 yards for the touchdown.

Wiggan, who came into the game with 18 rushing touchdowns, scored from seven yards out and 4:36 showing on the clock, as the Indians raced out to a 14-0 lead.

The Apaches (4-4, 3-2) trimmed the lead to 14-6 when quarterback Nick Ponce hit junior wide receiver Kevin Walker on a 50-yard strike and 2:10 left in the first quarter.

Burroughs took a 21-6 lead into the locker room after Wiggan scored on a 14-yard dash.

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