Burlington Central can't stop Stillman Valley

The Burlington Central football team stopped Stillman Valley for a three-and-out in its first possession Friday night.

That's about where the positives stopped as well.

The Cardinals scored on their next five drives, four touchdowns and a field goal, and cruised by the Rockets, 40-14, in a Big Northern Conference crossover game at Rocket Hill.

"They've been a big momentum team. Second quarter I think they got us rattled a little bit," Central Aaron Wichman said. "They put some points on the board. They have an explosive offense."

Stillman Valley senior fullback Adam Cox scored 5 touchdowns and gained 147 yards rushing on 14 carries in less than three quarters.

After Central (0-4) fumbled on its second possession, Cox scored on a 35-run up the middle on the next play. He also ran in the 2-point conversion for an 8-0 lead with 4:29 left in the first quarter. Isaacc Robert kicked a 25-yard field on the Cardinals' next possession. Cox then scored on runs of 9 and 11 yards in the second quarter for a 25-0 lead.

"That's kind of our offense. It's starts with the fullback," Cardinals coach Mike Lalor said. "(Cox) is load to bring down and if you miss him, he's got pretty good speed and can hit a big one."

Michael Kellenberger returned a kickoff for 92 yards for a touchdown with 6:33 remaining in the first half to cut the deficit to 25-6 after the 2-point conversion attempt failed.

Cox scored on a 1-yard run with 15 seconds left in the half for a 33-6 lead. He found the end zone on a 61-yard run with 8:50 left in the third quarter for his fifth touchdown.

"We let the fullback get loose on us a little bit," Wichman said.

Central, which had just 58 yards of offense in the first three quarters, took advantage of a Stillman Valley fumble as Zach Ranney scored on a 9-yard run with 3:52 remaining in the game. Ranney found Johnny Major for the 2-point conversion to complete the scoring.

Injuries continue to mount for the Rockets as leading rusher Tre Llanes sat out the final three quarters with what he said was a mild concussion. Wichman said Llanes probably could have returned, but did not want to risk it.

Brandon Westergaard rushed for 55 yards to lead Central.

The Cardinals (4-0), the No. 3 ranked team in Class 4A and defending 3A state champions, rushed for 352 yards on 55 attempts. Nate Bond had 94 yards on eight carries.