With a big win in the books for both teams, Prep and Burke met on Friday, with both aiming to keep their undefeated season alive.

The game began poorly for the Junior Jays, with Burke going up 10-0 early, before a Barrett Foley field goal and an interception from sophomore Elisha Burts tied the game up at ten apiece.

“I saw the end zone, and all the defensive players leading me to score,” said Burts, who returned the interception for a touchdown.

The game was a deadlock at halftime, with both sides notching 17 points. The Bulldogs struck early and fast after halftime, roaring out to a 31-17 lead.

With the game on the line, Prep’s passing game turned it up a notch. AJ Hubner threw for 441 yards and 4 touchdowns on the night, with the bulk of it coming late in the game.

“When you get down two touchdowns late, and have to start winging it, AJ just did a good job making the reads,” said head coach Andy Yost.

Senior Shannon Brewer caught six passes for 159 yards and one touchdown, along with junior Grant Matthies gaining 116 yards and two touchdowns.

Although Prep trailed by as much as fourteen into the fourth quarter, the team never gave up, battling back.

“They just kept fighting. They came back and put us in a position to win, that’s all you can ask for,” said Yost.

With less than a minute left in the game, Prep struck again, cutting the Burke lead to one point. Prep lined up for the point after, when Fisher Arbona took the snap and lofted a pass to the corner of the end zone, seeking kicker Barrett Foley, but the try was not successful.

“You play to win the game. We were going to go for two if it went to overtime anyway, so [I said] let’s just do it right now and try to win the game,” said Yost.

Although the Junior Jays fell just short of victory, their admirable effort in fighting back to get to that point was on display for all. Despite the loss, Prep will move on, as they play Fremont at home this Thursday in their next matchup.