Zane Burr, Stratford football, Jr.
On the field: Stratford got typically physical, particularly on defense, in last week’s 26-6 win over Wellington in the Class 2A Division II state quarterfinal at Dick Bivins Stadium, and Burr was a big reason why. Anchoring the defense at linebacker, Burr led the Elks with 15 total tackles, including four for losses, as Stratford shut out the Skyrockets after an early touchdown for a 6-0 lead. The Elks limited Wellington’s pounding ground attack to 108 yards on the night. Burr has been a defensive anchor for Stratford all season, as he’s third on the team with 141 tackles and he’s tied for the team lead with three quarterback sacks. He also ran for 41 yards on nine carries against Wellington, providing a complement to quarterback Cody Rinne, who’s run for eight touchdowns in the last two games. Burr will face another challenge Thursday as the Elks will take on Albany in the state semifinal in Lubbock, with the winner going to the 2A D-II state championship game at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium a week later.
Coach Matt Lovorn: “Zane is such a force on defense at linebacker. One of the things that he brings to our defense is knowledge of the game and he’s got a knack for finding the ball. He’s definitely one of our most physical players. Our defense leaned on him quite a bit against (Wellington). Some of those plays he made getting into the backfield made a huge difference for us. He’d be the first one to credit those defensive linemen. He’s a strong, strong runner and he’s tough. He doesn’t have huge breakaway speed but it sure takes a few guys to bring him down. He just does a great job kind of being the workhorse that his team needs him to be.”
Burr: “It was like playing ourselves. It did kind of make it easier because we knew what they were going to throw at us. I feel like our defense really stepped up. We knew that we couldn’t let them score again. That defensive mentality carried over to the offense. I feel like I definitely could have played better the first half. We all just came out at halftime going on all cylinders. We didn’t feel like the first half was that good. If our defense is doing really, really good it will carry us. The offense really feeds off the defense. I feel like (Albany) is like playing us again. We’ll just have to prepare all week. I feel like they’re pretty close to Wellington.”
About Burr
Favorite band or musician: Koe Wetzel
Favorite social media platform: Snapchat
Favorite athlete: Laynee Burr, his sister who plays basketball at Lubbock Christian University
Bet you didn’t know: Plays a little bit of guitar.
Parents: Ed and Christy Burr