LAWRENCE TWP. — Although improved Lawrence was unable to pull off what would have been regarded as a big upset on Saturday, it was of note that it was competitive against a strong Burlington City team that is now 6-1.
In a game in which a lot people thought Lawrence (4-3) might get trounced, it instead held its own before falling to City, 24-13, on Homecoming Day.
While Burlington City is a Group 1 program, the Blue Devils are not your usual Group 1 type of team. Among its top results are a victory over Bordentown (5-1) and an 8-0 loss the previous week to undefeated and state-ranked Burlington Township, which defeated Hopewell Valley Saturday.
“I think the effort we gave and the way we played against Township gave us a lot of confidence,” said Kadin Booker, who took over the City program in 2019. “It sucks we lost to them, but our players got a lot from that.”
Lawrence got off to a great start against City when it took over at the Blue Devil 29 yard line following a short punt in the first quarter and scored four plays later on a 3-yard run by James Lyons.
The Burls came back to take the lead midway through the second quarter when Dante Davis ripped off a 30-yard touchdown run and quarterback Mason Shansey threw a two-point conversion pass to Caleb Hilton-Ingram).
After Lawrence’s next possession stalled around midfield, City struck again on a 35-yard touchdown pass by Shansey to Javyn Rasberry, who made a great leaping coach right in front of the goal line over a Lawrence defender with 1:03 remaining in the first half.
After failing to take advantage of a Lawrence fumble on the kickoff to start the second half, City more or less iced the game when it scored its third touchdown on an 8-yard run by Davis. A, junior, Davis ended up rushing for 127 yards on 22 carries and was able to use his speed to get outside for key third-down runs.
With the score now 24-7, it looked line Lawrence was cooked at this point. Instead, the Cards moved the ball 55 yards to score on a 4-yard run by Lyons. This drive included a 15-yard run and 30 yards of penalties against City on the same play.
There was still a whole quarter for Lawrence to continue its comeback, but Lyons’ second TD was the end of the scoring.
Lawrence was able to stop a City drive on downs late in the fourth quarter, but Rasberry then made a sensational catch for an interception and his team ran out the clock from there.
The interception by Rasberry underscored Lawrence’s big problem in this game. Namely, its inability to successfully pass the ball as the Cardinals didn’t complete a single pass all day. Lyons did have the two touchdowns, but he was largely held in check with 56 yards on 18 carries.
“We knew coming in they don’t throw the ball much,” said Booker. “Our emphasis was to get 11 guys to the football. “I thought we did a good job of that.”
Lawrence will finish up its regular season with road games at Pennsville and Riverside. City will be a huge favorite in its last two games and could very well take an 8-1 record and high seed into the playoffs.
Burlington City (6-1) 8 8 8 0 — 24
Lawrence (4-3) 7 0 6 0 — 13
First Quarter
L-Lyons 3 run (Martinez kick)
BC-Davis 30 run (HIlton-Ingram pass from Shansey)
Second Quarter
BC-Rasberry 35 pass from Shansey (Rasberry pass from Shansey
Third Quarter
B-Davis 8 run (Hilton-Inram pass from Shansey
L-Lyons 4 run (Martinez kick)
