The Burns Bulldogs will head out on the road to square off against the Stuart W. Cramer Storm at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Burns' favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last five matchups.
On Friday, Burns was fully in charge, breezing past West Lincoln 47-19. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 34-12.
Jorian Ussery
| 09/26/25 vs West Lincoln | 185 |
| 10/11/24 @ Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy | 32 |
| 09/05/25 vs East Gaston | 31 |
| 10/25/24 vs Cherryville | 24 |
| 09/12/25 vs Lincolnton | 23 |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Burns to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jorian Ussery, who picked up 185 receiving yards and a pair of TDs, and also punched in one touchdown on the ground. Those 185 receiving yards gave Ussery a new career-high. Drew Dixon was another key passer, throwing for 209 yards and two touchdowns while completing 85.7% of his passes.
Burns was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 203 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 174 rushing yards in five consecutive contests.
Burns didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Markalen Jhamir Camp and Justyn Porter. Jhamir Camp is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in each of the last three games he's played. Burns received some extra help from Kameron Rudisill, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
Meanwhile, Stuart W. Cramer played a tough matchup on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They lost 50-29 to Shelby. While losing is never fun, the Storm can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 201st, while the Golden Lions are ranked 75th).
Burns will have to contain Qualteau Hawkins as he made an impact in Stuart W. Cramer's last game. He picked up 144 receiving yards and one score. Cody Alexander got in on the action too, returning a kick for a touchdown.
Burns is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a massive bump to their 3-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 46.0 points over those games. Having lost for the first time this season, Stuart W. Cramer fell to 4-1.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Burns has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 252 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Stuart W. Cramer struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 183.8 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Burns came up short against Stuart W. Cramer when the teams last played back in October of 2018, falling 42-38. Can the Bulldogs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
