Anson County star linebacker Rasheed Burns is the Observer player of the week
Anson High School linebacker Rasheed Burns is averaging more than eight tackles per game, but he thinks he should be doing more.
Burns and the Bearcats are 5-3 overall and are in first-place in the Rocky RIver 2A conference. This week, Burns won the Charlotte Observer’s high school football player of the week by nearly 7,000 votes — a new record.
“We’re having a good season right now,” Burns said Thursday morning. “We lost our first couple games but we had to turn around and play hard. I’m having a decent season. It’s not where I want to be, though. I want to average at least 10 (tackles per game) and end the season with at least 100.”
Burns, a 5-foot-8, 210-pound senior, will take an unofficial visit to N.C. A&T Saturday, Anson coach Ralph Jackson said, adding Burns is also getting interest from Winston-Salem State and Johnson C. Smith.
After winning the Observer’s weekly award, Burns thanked his teammates and his aunts, who helped spread the word about the voting. He also said some of those same teammates helped put him in position to win it.
“I just wrap up” when I tackle, Burns said. “My (defensive) lineman do a good job taking out offensive lineman and clearing out gaps for me to go in and fill them.”
Anson, a 2A team, lost its first two games to 3A Monroe, which is 5-3 now, and to unbeaten 4A power Richmond Senior.
Since then, the Bearcats have won five of six games, including last week’s 34-21 victory over Mount Pleasant, when Burns had 11 1/2 tackles.
The only blemish in the run was a 32-25 to unbeaten 3A power Lee County. Anson has not lost to a team in its classification this season.
That sets up a monster game at home next week with unbeaten 2A West Stanly (7-0, 1-0) that could decide the Rocky River conference title.
“We are preparing,” Burns said, “and we’ve got to go hard next week. We’ve got to bring it, be ready to play.”
This story was originally published October 24, 2019 at 12:15 PM.
