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Totino-Grace shows why it's No. 1 with shutout of Hopkins

By Jack Satzinger, Special to the Star Tribune, 11/04/16, 9:15PM CDT

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The Eagles' Gayflor Flomo, Ivan Burlak and Brady Bertram combined for five touchdowns in a 41-0 victory.


Totino Grace's Ivan Burlak (5) carries the ball thrugh the Hopkins defenders. The Eagles remain undefeated with their section final victory over Hopkins to earn a berth in the State High School Tournament. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine.


Ivan Burlak

Totino-Grace, which hasn’t lost a game all season, made it clear early on Friday that things weren’t going to change in what became a 41-0 victory over Hopkins in a Class 6A playoff game.

On a first-quarter drive, the Eagles (10-0), leading 7-0, marched 99 yards down the field, taking just four plays and 28 seconds. The drive was capped by a 54-yard touchdown run from Gayflor Flomo that gave Totino-Grace a 14-0 lead.

Flomo, along with fellow seniors Ivan Burlak and Brady Bertram, carried Totino-Grace’s offense much of the way against the Royals (4-6). The trio was effective running the ball throughout the game and combined for five touchdowns. Eagles senior quarterback Kyle Halverson threw for two scores.

“Those are my brothers,” Burlak said. “We’ve been working for four years now, so we know each other and we knew this was a big game for us.”

The Eagles defense was sturdy. Seniors Jared Florell, Nolan Neilson and Mark O’Donnell each had an interception in the first half. The Royals replaced junior quarterback Connor Fitzgerald with senior backup Morgan Holmes, but Totino-Grace made it tough for Holmes to gain much momentum. Florell got his second interception of the game in the fourth quarter.

“Our defense, they had key turnovers for us,” Burlak said.

JACK SATZINGER


Hopkins sophomore running back Jadon Washington attempts to break free from an Eagle defender. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine.

First report

After three first-half interceptions from Totino-Grace's stout defense, the Eagles' offense took control en route to a 41-0 victory over Hopkins.

Totino-Grace (10-0) flourished behind a multi-faceted running game led by Gayflor Flomo, Ivan Burlak and Brady Bertram. The senior trio combined for five touchdowns in the game Friday at Totino-Grace.

Hopkins (4-6) couldn't gain much momentum offensively against the Eagles' defense, going scoreless in the contest. The Royals turned the ball over again in the fourth quarter, when Totino-Grace senior linebacker Jared Florell recorded his second interception of the game. 

Check back later for more on the game.


Senior Joe Russell returns a punt for 43 yards in the Eagles 41-0 victory of the Hopkins Royals. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine.

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