It took a little longer than expected to decide the fourth and final playoff spot in District 1-5A due to a massive storm that rolled through El Paso early Friday evening. At the end of the night, it was the Burges Mustangs who rolled against a resilient El Paso High squad 41-21 to clinch that last playoff spot on a wet and windy night. “The key tonight was that we were able to run the ball,” said Burges head coach James Routledge, “I have to take my hat off to El Paso High. They’ve had a lot of injuries this year and they came out and fought and played well.”
The Mustangs strong performance on the ground was led by senior Allen Rabb. The senior who primarily starts at cornerback entered Friday’s game with 166 yards and five touchdowns on the season. He finished the game with 17 carries for 198 yards and five scores on a very special night.
“My offensive line came through tonight,” Rabb said, “Also, it was senior night and my grandfather from Maryland came to watch me play so I had to put on a show for him.”
Rabb’s show began in the second quarter after Burges had an 8-0 lead. Rabb took a handoff from quarterback Matteo Serrano and scooted down the right side for a 34-yard touchdown, the first of his five scores. After an El Paso High fumble, the Mustangs took advantage of a short field, with Rabb once again adding another 21-yard score to make it 21-0.
Jesus Avila, who replaced Nick Porras and Shane Rodriguez in the El Paso backfield, capped off a quick response with a five-yard TD run on his own to make it 21-7 run. He finished the game with 28 carries for 153 yards and the score. Rabb would add one more score less than two minutes later, a 3 yard run to cap off a 104-yard first half.
“We felt like we needed a change of pace so we put Allen in and he just showed a different gear,” Routledge said, “He was doing a great job out there.”
Rabb would cap off his night with a 54-yard run up the middle that sealed a career night that propelled the Mustangs into the playoffs with a matchup against the Canutillo Eagles in the bi-district round.
“It feels great to win tonight,” Rabb said, “but we have to stay level-headed. Canutillo is a really good team and we have to be ready for them.”
