Despite playing without their top runningback and biggest lineman, Holton put together their most complete and physical football game churching out 575 yards in route to a 51-21 playoff win against visiting Burlington on Friday night. Fullback Cael Frazier ran for 173 yards and four touchdowns while Bodie Dillon ran for 111 and also completed three passes for 142 yards and two more touchdowns as the Wildcats improved to 5-4.

Holton scored on three straight offensive plays and jumped to a 21-0 first quarter advantage by scoring on their opening 11-play drive and then forcing a fumble. The Cats next offensive play was a 40-yard TD pass from Dillon to Landon Hernandez to make it 14-0. Then after forcing a Burlington punt, Holton scored on another one-play-drive with Dillon broke free on a 90-yard touchdown. 

Burlington would settle down however and make it a game with back to back touchdown possessions sandwiched around a Holton punt. Chance Hegg found Hunter Cole on an 11-yard TD pass out of the backfield and then Brody Anderson make a tremendous back peddling grab in the corner of the endzone from 18 yards out to pull the visitors within 21-14. Perhaps the game-changing play Holton needed came on the next possession with a fourth down and nine at the Burlington 11-yard line when Andrew Shupe converted a tough first-down run and then Frazier scored a couple plays later to make it 27-14 instead of Burlington continuing their momentum and getting the ball back down only one score. 

Holton used a 26-yard pass play to Hernandez to set up a 34-yard field goal by Korban Wilson as time expired in the first half. And when Burlington went for it on fourth down and seven at their own 43-yard-line to start the third quarter, and failed, Holton capitalized and put the game away for good as Frazier scored from 9 and e38 yards out in the third period to make it 44-14. 

Both teams racked up some garbage time yards in a game that featured 1,081 total yards to go along with 82 points. Holton scored on a 76-yard pass play as Dillon found freshman Grant Warner for the second straight week on a long touchdown and then Hegg connected with Anderson again on a 12-yard strike for Burlington.

Burlington had 506 total yards with Hegg completing 25 of 43 passes for 357 yard and rushing for 86 more. Fellow senior, Anderson, had 10 catches for 178, but Burlington had three turnovers on the night as Shupe and Alex Frazier both registered INT's for Holton. The Holton defense now has 25 takeaways in 9 games this season and also registered a few more sacks, including a monster play by Kit Jackson as Holton continues their 27th straight year in the playoffs and next gets a rematch at undefeated Wellsville from a year ago when Holton won 21-13.