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BI-DISTRICT PLAYOFF
The Bastrop Bears varsity football team delivered a dominant 62–0 shutout victory over the Burbank Bulldogs in the bi-district round of the playoffs on Friday, Nov. 14, at Memorial Stadium.
Senior utility standout Gary Jefferson powered the offense with 184 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. He also added a receiving score, accounting for five total touchdowns before halftime in one of his most explosive outings of the season.
Bastrop wasted no time setting the tone. Junior quarterback Weston Nielsen opened the scoring with a 20-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Diego Rangel, giving the Bears a quick 7–0 lead.
Moments later, defensive lineman Val Regaldo intercepted a pass to immediately swing momentum back to Bastrop. The Bears capitalized on the turnover when Nielsen found senior receiver Zac Wilkinson for a 25-yard touchdown strike, extending the lead to 14–0.
Jefferson added his first rushing touchdown of the night with a 5-yard run late in the first quarter. Soon after, Nielsen and Wilkinson connected again — this time on a 45-yard touchdown — to push the Bears’ advantage to 28–0 as the passing attack continued to overwhelm the Bulldogs.
Bastrop’s defense came up big again in the second quarter when senior linebacker Tiki Hola recovered a botched Burbank snap deep in Bulldogs territory. Jefferson punched in another touchdown on the ensuing drive, taking a 13yard screen pass to the end zone to make it 35–0.
The senior continued his dominant half with a 65-yard breakaway touchdown run, followed by a 30-yard rushing score on the next possession. He capped his remarkable first-half performance with a second 65-yard touchdown sprint, sending the Bears into halftime with a commanding 55–0 lead.
With the large cushion, Bastrop rested most of its starters in the second half. Senior wide receiver Andrew Carter added the Bears’ final touchdown of the night, closing out the 62–0 shutout victory.
Nielsen finished the game 12-of-18 for 231 yards and four touchdowns. Wilkinson led all receivers with 128 yards and two scores, while Rangel and Jefferson each added receiving touchdowns.
Defensively, the Bears held Burbank to just 101 rushing yards and 30 passing yards, forcing multiple turnovers and controlling the line of scrimmage throughout the night.
With the win, Bastrop advances to the area round, where the Bears will face Waco University at 2 p.m. Saturday at Crusader Stadium in Belton.
