High School Football: Burns in midseason form? Bulldogs roll Forestview in opener
With 11 starters back from a Western North Carolina 2A championship team, Burns is expected to be one of the best teams in the state.
The Bulldogs certainly played like that in Friday’s 42-0 season-opening win at Forestview.
Burns, 13-2 a year ago, scored touchdowns on five of its six offensive possessions and a added a punt return for another touchdown in throttling a Forestview team that has 13 returning starters off a 4-7 state playoff team.
“They look like they’re in midseason form,” Forestview coach Chris Medlin said of Burns.
Quarterback Ben Mauney, who has committed to play at Gardner-Webb, completed 8 of 12 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns. Jeremiah Norris rushed 11 times for 97 yards and two touchdowns, Kamari Surratt caught a 9-yard touchdown pass and returned a punt 55 yards for a touchdown, and Graham Warlick caught a pair of 60-yard touchdown throws from Mauney.
“We’ve got eight returning starters on offense including the quarterback,” said Burns coach David Devine, an offensive lineman on the Bulldogs’ 1994 N.C. 3A state championship team. “So we expect to hit the ground running on that side of the ball.”
Devine’s biggest criticism of his team was nine penalties totaling 70 yards, including two that negated touchdowns.
Forestview twice advanced into Burns territory, but a pair of penalties pushed them back into Jaguars territory — once on their opening drive, and one that resulted in a 35-yard field goal attempt that went wide right on the opening drive of the second half.
“We may not have played all that well but we played hard all game long,” Medlin said.
Three who made a difference
▪ Burns QB Ben Mauney: He now has 5,902 career passing yards and could finish the season as the school and county all-time passing leader.
▪ Burns WR/DB Kamari Surratt: He had a receiving touchdown, a punt return touchdown and made one solo or first-hit tackle on defense in addition to breaking up a pass.
▪ Burns LB Elijah Goodson: He had a team-high seven solo or first-hit tackles, including one on a quarterback sack for a loss of nine yards, in addition to picking up 46 yards on his one rushing attempt.
Worth mentioning
▪ Burns had 429 yards total offense on 35 plays and Forestview picked up 124 yards on 34 plays.
What’s Next?
Forestview hosts defending N.C. 3A champion East Lincoln; Burns hosts Crest.
Scoring Summary
Burns 14 22 6 0 — 42
Forestview 0 0 0 0 — 0
B - Kamari Surratt 9 pass from Ben Mauney (Kick failed)
B - Jeremiah Norris 4 run (Mauney run)
B - Kamari Surratt 55 punt return (Jonny Johnson pass from Mauney)
B - Graham Warlick 60 pass from Mauney (Johnson kick)
B - Norris 3 run (Johnson kick)
B - Warlick 60 pass from Mauney (Kick failed)
Note: The Gaston County game of the week is sponsored by Deer Park Water