Roaming toward Buffaloes

For Matt Burgner and Shaun Mohler, the huddle was a symbol as much as a ritual, a metaphor for the bond that abolished the polarity of their existence off the football field.

Matt was a straight-A student from the postcard family who wanted for little.

Shaun was a learning-disabled, so-called slacker whose ample daily doses of love came from a divorced mother struggling to make ends meet.

But their allied passion for the game was hardly limited to the fall practices and games they shared from grade school through Corona del Mar High, where both became Orange County All-Stars with All-CIF Southern Section credentials.

As teenagers and best friends, they confessed their dreams to one another, collectively craving an opportunity to one day inhabit the glorified world of big-time college football they regularly worshiped through the television screen and in newspaper accounts. On their boldest days, they allowed themselves to forecast a future as collegiate teammates, strapping it on and living out their dream.

But those dreams, temporarily, gave way to reality.

Burgner, then a 5-foot-11, 230-pound defensive lineman who amassed a school record 36 sacks in three varsity seasons, was not offered a Division I-A opportunity and signed at Division I-AA Georgetown, where he shifted to fullback.

Mohler, who would have attracted scores of Division I-A scholarship offers, failed to qualify academically for a four-year school and embarked on football future at Orange Coast Community College.

More than two years later, Mohler, a two-time JC All-American who twice led the Pirates in tackles as a 6-3, 225-pound outside linebacker, was a blue-chip recruit fielding mail and phone calls from a who’s-who of college football programs.

After initial commitments to Cal, then Nebraska, a coaching change at Nebraska prompted him to reconsider yet again. He eventually was wooed by the University of Colorado, with which he signed in December of 2007.

Burgner, meanwhile, was souring on Hoyas Coach Kevin Kelly, whom, he said, was less than supportive of his players during the 2-8 season in 2006, then a 1-10 mark in 2007.

Burgner played in 16 of those 21 games (missing time with a concussion) for the Hoyas. He carried 12 times for 26 yards and one touchdown in his two seasons there and also managed seven tackles in defensive duty as a freshman.

While Burgner bounced his discontent at Georgetown off of family members, Mohler began chirping in his ear about a prospective pairing in Boulder.

Mohler even talked to Buffaloes coaches about Burgner, hoping there would be an opportunity for his buddy to walk on.

Turns out, Colorado had been one of Burgner’s dream schools all along.

“I was always CU when I played video games and everyone knew me as a CU guy,” Burgner said. “My sister [Brooke] graduated from Colorado [the spring of 2007]. When Shaun got a full ride there, I started to think about trading in my average college life at Georgetown to go there.”

After conferring with his parents on holiday break in December, Burgner soon returned to Georgetown to pack. He accepted a walk-on role at Colorado and enrolled there for the 2008 spring semester.

“People who didn’t know me couldn’t believe I would leave Georgetown for Colorado, but the people close to me told me I had to do it,” Burgner said.

He slept on his sister’s sofa for a week until a dorm room opened up in Boulder and he began working out with the football team, something Mohler couldn’t do until August, as he remained at OCC to complete some academic obligations.

When Mohler arrived, the two began living their dream, sharing the same locker room, if not quite the same huddle.

“We were running hills a couple weeks ago and, all of a sudden, it hit us,” Burgner said. “I looked at Shaun and said ‘I can’t believe we’re at the same school.’ He said ‘I know, it just hit me, too.’ It was a surreal moment.”

Mohler is battling for the starting spot at weak-side linebacker, while Burgner, per NCAA rules, must redshirt this season. Burgner, who said he is listed third on the depth chart at fullback, will practice with the team and even dress for home games.

“I can’t wait to run out behind Ralphie [Colorado’s 450-pound buffalo mascot] before that first home game [Aug. 31 against intrastate rival Colorado State at Invesco Field in Denver],” Burgner said. “That’s going to be unreal.”

Very real, however, is their bond, as well as their belief in one another.

“I have 100% confidence in Shaun that he will fulfill everything people have already said about him,” Burgner said. “I’ve seen him do it in high school and he has matured as a player and a person. I know he knows what to do and he’ll use a strong work ethic to get it done. I’m extremely proud of him.”

Mohler, who is also a mainstay on Colorado special teams, said those who have doubted Burgner’s ability have continually been proved wrong. Burgner, to the surprise of many, was the Defensive MVP of the 2006 Orange County All-Star Game, when he had two sacks and two additional tackles for loss.

“Matt’s doing great,” Mohler said more than one week into fall drills. “He’s working hard and being his same-old self.”

Mohler also credits Burgner with inspiring him to buckle down on his studies at OCC.

Added Matt: “It’s going to be amazing playing the next two years with Shaun. We’re playing teams like West Virginia and we’re playing on ESPN. Those are things I really wasn’t experiencing at Georgetown.”

Shaun is living in the dorms while Burgner is sharing a house with teammates, including sophomore quarterback Cody Hawkins, who is also the son of head coach Dan Hawkins. And their football commitment, including two practices a day plus meetings, limits their ability to hang out socially. But Burgner said they are considering living together next year. And they will soon have more down time to connect outside the locker room.

“I’m really happy [Burgner] is here,” Mohler said. “It’s the ultimate. I guess our dream didn’t turn out the way we thought it would out of high school. But, in the end, everything worked out just great.”

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected].