This season, your John I. Burton Raiders went 9-1 in the regular season, meaning they won nine games and lost only one. This season's players have came a long way since last year when our team barely made the playoffs and placed as the last seed. In 2015, the Raiders came out of the regular season in District 1A West as the number 2 seed with only George Wythe being ranked above them.
They were also the Cumberland District Champions; the Cumberland District is made up of 6 different teams, consisting of John I.Burton, Twin Springs, Eastside, Thomas Walker, and Rye Cove. Burton placed first among these six teems. This year senior quarterback, Tra Adams, also joined two former John I. Burton quarterbacks as the school's only quarterbacks to lead the team in a District Championship and finish the regular season with 9 or more wins.The last time the Raiders were District Champions, was in 2007, when they won it 3 years in a row, from 2005-2007.
In the first game of the season, the Raiders took their only loss of the season against the 2A Union Bears who were undefeated all season. After that game, the Raiders rallied back with a 9 game winning streak. They are expected to go far in the playoff season, and they hope to avoid injuries from top play makers.
Last season in the first round of the playoffs, the Raiders traveled to Haysi, to face off against the Haysi Tigers. In the first quarter, the score was tied at 14, but after that everything began to fall apart for the Raiders, as they lost DeShawn Patten to a concussion, who was at that point a key element if they were going to succeed. The Haysi Tigers went on to blow out the Raiders and send them home in the first round. The Raiders are chasing after a state championship this year, and are likely to succeed if they can keep everyone healthy.
The first round playoff game is scheduled for Saturday at home, and kickoff is at 2 p.m. They start their playoff season playing the Covington Cougars. If they win, they will host the winner of the Rural Retreat and Auburn game at home. The last time the Raiders made it to the third round playoffs was in 2013 when they beat Clintwood and Auburn, before losing to Haysi.
There will be a student section held for the playoff games, and the theme will be Raider spirit. The Burton Blog wishes the football team good luck in their "second season."
Written by: Mazzy and Austin