After two games on the road, Burns is heading back home. They will welcome the Alexander Central Cougars at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Burns came up short against Kings Mountain on Friday, falling 41-20. The defeat continues a trend for the Bulldogs in their matchups with the Mountaineers: they've now lost seven in a row.
Despite their loss, Burns saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Marshall McGowan, who rushed for 51 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 168 yards and a touchdown on only 13 passes, was perhaps the best of all. Kenyon Surratt was McGowan's top target, picking up 88 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Alexander Central's game on Friday was all tied up 7-7 at the half, but luckily for them it didn't stay that way. They came out on top against North Iredell by a score of 28-19. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 124th, while the Raiders are ranked 263rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jeremiah Whitaker was nothing short of spectacular: he rushed for 213 yards and three touchdowns on only 13 carries. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 107 rushing yards per game. Another big playmaker for Alexander Central was Wade Queen, who returned a punt for a touchdown.
Alexander Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 386 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since was before the start of last season.
Burns now has a losing record at 1-2. As for Alexander Central, their victory ended a four-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-1.
Friday's match might be decided in the trenches. Burns has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 231 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Alexander Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 267.7. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Burns against Alexander Central in their previous meeting back in September of 2023 as the team secured a 50-7 win. In that matchup, Burns amassed a halftime lead of 36-7, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
