Football Game Preview: Burke County Bears vs. Sonoraville Phoenix + How To Watch

After both having extra time off, the Burke County Bears and the Sonoraville Phoenix will shake off the rust and duke it out at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Burke County is coming into the contest hot, having won their last three games.

If Sonoraville heads into halftime all tied up, they better play a good second half: that's when Burke County took over last week. The Bears strolled past Laney with points to spare last Friday, taking the game 34-20. Burke County's victory was all the more impressive since the Wildcats were averaging only 12.1 points allowed on the season.

Landen Wright

Total Touchdowns

10/31/25 vs Laney	2
09/26/25 vs Glenn Hills	2
08/22/25 @ Cross Creek	1
08/15/25 @ Academy of Richmond County	1

Sean Vandiver had an outrageously good game as he rushed for 201 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 11 carries, and also threw for 81 yards and one TD. His longest rush was for an incredible 93 yards. Landen Wright also helped with two scores in total.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Burke County was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 289 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in August.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Sonoraville, who bounced back after a loss on the road back in October. Everything went their way against Union County back in October as they made off with a 45-22 win. The score was close at halftime, but the Phoenix pulled away in the second half with 24 points.

Burke County better keep an eye on Jayden Cruz. He was instrumental in Sonoraville's win, rushing for 194 yards and three TDs while picking up 8.8 yards per carry. Cruz has become a key player for the Phoenix: the team is 5-2 when he posts at least 80 rushing yards, but 0-3 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Chaz Pate, who threw for 205 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Burke County's record now sits at 8-2. As for Sonoraville, the victory got them back to even at 5-5.

Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Burke County has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 214.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Sonoraville struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 151.5 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other football content.