Copyright Hartford Courant
WEST HARTFORD – Vincent Burbank came to Northwest Catholic as a freshman to play basketball. He had played one year of flag football and decided maybe he’d go out for the football team as a quarterback. His freshman year, the starting quarterback got hurt and Burbank was called in to play. “He was terrible,” Northwest Catholic coach Mike Lenz said. “Like the first snap hit him in the helmet and the other team picked it off and went in for a touchdown.” Burbank, now a senior, remembered a pretty lopsided score in that first game. “It was like 40-0 (a loss),” he said. “I just kept working at it.” Last year, Burbank passed for 2,634 yards and 31 touchdowns and Northwest Catholic just missed the playoffs with a 7-3 record. This season, Burbank has passed for 1,751 yards and 24 touchdowns, including 223 yards and four TDs Saturday morning in a 43-0 win over Tolland and Northwest is 7-1. “I don’t know what it is, but he picks up anything,” Lenz said. “He hadn’t kicked before. Now he’s our punter and our kicker. I can even say, ‘Hey can you squib it inside the numbers, down around the 20 and he just does it.’ He’s just got a knack for it. He’s a really sports smart kid.” In fact, Burbank rarely leaves the field. He plays cornerback on defense. He scores a touchdown, then kicks the extra point. He does get a break on kickoff returns. “That’s my one break,” Burbank said. “It does get tiring but it gives me a chance to impact the game every single play.” Even in practice, Burbank, who would like to play in college but hasn’t committed anywhere yet, doesn’t take breaks. “We’ll take him out to put in our second string quarterback to get some reps and you look up and he’s playing scout team corner, or he tries to jump in at receiver,” Lenz said. “He’s got a high motor.” Burbank’s favorite target is senior receiver Kayden Davis, who will play at Wesleyan next year. Davis had three touchdown receptions on Saturday. The two are best friends and also both play basketball. “He’s a big playmaker,” Davis said. “He knows how to place the ball in a good spot and how to run and make plays so when the defenders come down, he can throw it right over the top.” Lenz said the two have good chemistry. “Vinnie just knows where Kayden is on the field,” Lenz said. “Vinnie gets out of the pocket a lot and those off-schedule throws, Kayden is a big target and he’s really good at finding open space for Vinnie to throw him the ball. “They have 3-4 touchdowns with 10 seconds left in the half this year. He just hucks it down the field and Kayden goes up and makes the grab.” After coming close to the playoffs last year, their goal is to make it this season. Northwest, whose only loss came to Bloomfield, is ranked sixth in Class S. Their last two games are against Lewis Mills/Wolcott Tech and East Catholic on Thanksgiving. Northwest Catholic 43, Tolland 0 Tolland 0 0 0 0 – 0 Northwest Catholic 7 14 7 15 – 43 First quarter N-Kayden Davis 5 pass from Vincent Burbank (Burbank kick) Second quarter N-Chase Henry 4 run (Burbank kick) N-Davis 5 pass from Burbank (Burbank kick) Third quarter N-Henry 29 pass from Burbank (Burbank kick) Fourth quarter N-Davis 10 pass from Burbank (Davis pass from Jayse McMillian) N-Cooper Lenz 18 run (Burbank kick)
