On Saturday, November 11, Burr and Burton Academy’s football team won the state championship against the previously undefeated Hartford Hurricanes. With just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter, Captains Jack McCoy and Carter Cave connected for the final touchdown pass. The game ended 35-28 for the Bulldogs, securing BBA's fifth ever state championship.
This was BBA’s first state championship since 2019, and Hartford proved to be tough competition. Throughout the preceding season, they had been ranked #1 in the state, beating BBA earlier in the season. Despite the daunting opponent, Carter Cave commented that the entire team showed up that day. Some of the players he mentioned by name include Jack McCoy, JT Wright, Peyton Gray, Caleb Gabert, and Zach Chaney. He also praised the leadership of Coach Tom McCoy, whose “great calls” kept the dogs in the lead as the last minutes ticked by.
According to Cave, the hardest part of the entire journey was weathering the nerves leading up to stepping on the field, especially knowing that for many, including himself, it would be their last game. There was immense pressure to perform, but on the field that pressure led to some amazing moments. Cave praises the whole team who “never gave,” and comments that it was “a really close game,” but “just all out amazing.”
Cave adds, “I think [a] great moment was at the end of the game when the clock finally hit zero.” He describes the image of “all the boys and all the happy looks on their faces” after the game ended as the greatest reward for all of their hard work this season. Cave’s personal favorite moment of the game was catching the final touchdown pass which won it all.
Nov. 11 added a 5th D1 football championship trophy to BBA's collection, the first one being won all the way back in 1948. It was truly a game to remember for our seniors as they continue their journeys beyond the halls of BBA.