Edinburgh football earns first win, advances

<p>CAMBRIDGE CITY</p><p>Friday’s Class A sectional quarterfinal between Edinburgh and Cambridge City Lincoln was the game nobody wanted to lose.</p><p>At stake was a berth in next week’s semifinal, but more important was that one of two long losing streaks would end.</p><p>Edinburgh finally broke through, beating the host Golden Eagles 24-12 for its first win of the season.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery<p>“This is huge for the team and for the community,” Edinburgh coach Jason Burton said. “(Sectionals) are a fresh slate and we played great. We were upset we lost a game when (Trinity Lutheran) dropped football, but it gave us a week more to prepare and the hard work we did during practice paid off.”</p><p>This was a big win for several reasons.</p><p>One, it breaks an 11-game losing streak dating back to last season, but even more than that, it was the first time the Lancers won a game on the field since a tight 28-26 victory over Wes-Del on Oct. 7, 2016.</p><p>More importantly, it extends the season for Edinburgh (1-8), which returns home to face Hagerstown in a semifinal game next week.</p><p>This was also a reward for all the hard work and near misses the Lancers had this season.</p><p>“Definitely,” Burton said. “We wanted to run and throw and we were able to do that. We just had a great overall team effort.”</p><p>The teams seemed a mirror of each other on paper, with both averaging 12 points a game and giving up more than 35 points (Edinburgh was higher at 42.6).</p><p>That’s where it ended, though.</p><p>Senior Bryce Burton gave a quick glimpse of things to come when he ran for 30 yards on the Lancers’ first play from scrimmage. Before the first quarter ended, the senior also broke free for a 90-yard touchdown run to give the Lancers a lead they never relinquished.</p><p>Burton rushed for 121 yards on three carries.</p><p>Lincoln pulled to within two on a 6-yard run by sophomore Alex Hokey, but Edinburgh quarterback Tyson Sackman gave the Lancers a gap again on a 2-yard keeper. Hunter Dean scored both times on the conversion, one each on a run and pass from Sackman.</p><p>The play that put the Golden Eagles away happened in the third, when Sackman hit junior Darius Bennett for a 22-yard touchdown pass in the end zone. Once again, Dean scored on the conversion to make it 24-6.</p><p>Defensively, the Lancers held the Golden Eagles (0-9) to 141 total yards. Edinburgh also had three interceptions and recovered a fumble, while only turning the ball over twice — including an interception that Lincoln ran back 66 yards for a touchdown with 33 seconds left. That might have made a difference had the Lancers not had a 16-point lead.</p><p>The win made the year of a few Edinburgh seniors.</p><p>“Honestly, I’m speechless,” Bryce Burton said. “I think we peaked at the right moment. This means so much to us and we all played a part of this win, especially our offensive line, who gave us time to run.”</p><p>Sophomore Austin Streeval also rushed for more than 100 yards, gaining 101. Sackman, despite getting sacked seven times, threw for 122 yards and a touchdown.</p><p>“With all the rain, it was slick out there, but we wanted this,” Bryce Burton said. “It’s been a while since we’ve won, and I’m so proud of the guys.”</p>