Sean Ghaman throws three touchdown passes as the Bears celebrate the Class of 2027
The John Burroughs Bears celebrated Senior Night with a dominant 35-7 victory over the Gabrielino Eagles, highlighted by three touchdown passes from senior quarterback Sean Ghaman.
The Bears bounced back from last week’s 42-7 loss to South Pasadena. Gabrielino entered the contest following a forfeit victory over Pasadena, which canceled the remainder of its season. The Eagles’ previous game was a 58-12 win over Crescenta Valley on September 25.
Before kickoff, Burroughs honored members of the Class of 2027 from its varsity football team, cheer squad, and marching band.
The football seniors recognized were Sho Fujita, Jordan Frenkel, Marcelo Remus, Tony Sanchez, Carson Shrode, Michael Hernandez, Brandon Chapparo, Sean Ghaman, Jason White, Ryder Bowne, Manuel Trujillo, Julian Tiangco, Brian Navarrete, Christian Mendez, Cooper Beebe, Jedidiah Cuevas, Jaiver Vanegas, Ashton Reyes, Kevin Radillo Paz, Daniel Del Real, Matthew Westmoreland, Ted Severse, Luke Ryan, Erick Jacobo, Jade Rufin, and Anthony Larios.
“I was choked up thinking about the memories of growing up playing football,” Ghaman said. He added that the evening gave him more lasting memories with his brothers on the field.
The cheer seniors honored were Angelina Ardon Beiza, Charlotte Bartels, Becca Castillo, Mya Ellington, Kharma Goston, Mikayla Govella, Devyn Hanson, David Hernandez, Izabel Loanou Price, Daniella Key, Llucelie Munoz, Leah Nguyen, Shalini Pathak, Vanessa Paz, Baela Rana, Dhalilah Reynoso, and Camille Santiago Dorn.
The marching band recognized seniors Abby Baum, Noah Chang, Evangeline Eick, Jacob Gonzalez, Ryan Ho, Noah Lin and Evan Torres.
Once the game began, Burroughs wasted little time taking control. Fujita opened with a 43-yard run to set up the first score, and Chapparo finished the drive with a touchdown on an end-around to give the Bears a 7-0 lead. Shrode followed with a goal-line touchdown run, extending the advantage to 13-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Gabrielino answered in the second quarter when Zakary Cruz broke free for an 80-yard touchdown run. Ghaman then connected with Sanchez for two touchdowns, first on a 24-yard pass and later on a nine-yard strike. After Gabrielino’s Jacob Cabrera intercepted Ghaman with 32.9 seconds remaining in the half, Avery Sereano recorded a sack for a safety. The defensive score helped send Burroughs into halftime with a 28-7 lead.
Ghaman added his third touchdown pass after the break, finding Chapparo for an eight-yard score to extend the lead to 35-7. It was the only scoring play of the second half, as both teams were held scoreless in the fourth quarter.
“I’m not worried about the penalties; we had a plan to play aggressively, but I was proud of how our guys executed throughout the game,” Burroughs coach Jose Calzadilla said. Calzadilla also expressed pride in the seniors and their contributions to the Burroughs football program over the past four years.
Burroughs improved to 3-4 overall and 2-1 in Boulder League play, while Gabrielino fell to 3-4 overall and 1-2 in league play.
Both teams return to action next Friday. The Bears travel to San Marino, while the Eagles face South Pasadena. Kickoff for both games is scheduled for 7 p.m.
