Burr Oak’s football team was brought back down to reality Friday night after a 49-0 loss to visiting Battle Creek St. Philip, which is officially the top dog in the Southern Michigan 8-Man Football League through the first four weeks of the season. However, the Bobcats (3-1) are still in great position to make the postseason after losing their first game of the year.
St. Philip (4-0) rolled up 21 points in the first quarter and Burr Oak, which is 1-1 in the conference, had no answer. The Fighting Tigers have now outscored their opponents 224-15.
“This game was a tough loss for us tonight,” Bobcats coach Ryan Stephens said. “I think many of the boys came in a little overconfident against a solid St. Phil team. We had many missed tackles all throughout the night and did not put enough pressure on the quarterback to where he was able to hit his receivers for touchdown passes.”
James Saylor completed 5 of 14 passing attempts for 32 yards, and Burr Oak struggled to create running lanes en route to fewer than 100 rushing yards. Chantz Owens led the team with 43 yards on six carries, and Saylor finished with 26 on 13 takes.
“Offensively, we did not block very well on the line for our backs and QB to properly execute the plays,” Stephens added. “Overall, this game was a humbling experience for both the coaches and players, and we have all made a compact to work harder in practice, listen more, and focusing on fixing our mistakes and getting better.”