First Win of the Season for Varsity Football and Coach Burnett

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Mason Kinnahan, Intro Reporter

On Thursday, Briar Woods Varsity football won their first game of the season against Riverside High School. In his first year as Briar Woods Varsity Head Coach, Coach Burnett finally has received his much deserved first win. After being down 7-6 at the half, the team rallied to shut out the Riverside offense for the rest of the game. The Falcon offense was rolling in the second half scoring two rushing touchdowns, one in the third quarter and one in the fourth. 

When asked what he told the seniors at the half, Coach Burnett said “it had been a difficult couple of years, but they [had] 24 minutes left to play football.” He told them to put everything out on the field for the final half…and that’s exactly what they did. 

Half way through the fourth quarter, Briar was up 12-7, but with help from a Zavier Kennedy long rushing touchdown and an Andrew Joyce interception in the red zone, the Falcons sealed the game winning 18-7. 

When asked when he knew his team won, sophomore linebacker Kaden Lee said, “We didn’t know until our last defensive possession – when we captured the interception – that we sealed the deal. We’ve always been taught to fight until the end of the game.” With second half collapses in both of the last two games, the coaching staff’s mindset inspired the players, which helped keep Briar Woods in the game and motivated them to earn their first win of the season. 

Overall, Briar Woods football finished the varsity season 1-9. Although they still have room for improvement, with talented freshmen and players on defense like Andrew Joyce making big plays in big moments, next season will definitely be one to watch.