Burke passes first test as East routs Longhorns

BLUFF CITY — Sullivan East's Air Raid offense isn't a passing fancy. Former Patriots standout quarterback Drake Fisher is now on the coaching staff and two-year starting signal caller Peyton Lingerfelt transferred to Elizabethton this summer for his senior season, but East remained armed and dangerous in a season-opening rout of Johnson County on Thursday night. Sophomore Grady Burke passed for 301 yards and four touchdowns – in the first half – and the host Patriots rolled to a 41-0 non-conference victory to snap a 17-game losing streak. Burke finished 15 of 25 passing for 392 yards and five touchdowns. Burke found sophomore Ike Deel wide open behind the defense for an 86-yard scoring strike with 8:53 left in the first quarter. Another sophomore, Colton Laisure, got open up the right hash to catch a 37-yard TD pass from Burke with 4:11 left in the first quarter. And Burke connected with senior Haden Jones for TD passes of 30 and 25 yards in the second quarter, giving the Patriots a 28-0 lead at halftime. Jones, who caught seven passes for 182 yards, wasn't surprised by Burke's debut. "I love Grady," Jones said. "I've watched him grow up, and it feels good to step on the field and trust the quarterback that's in the pocket. He's gonna give me the perfect ball." The 6-foot-1 Burke woke up Thursday morning overflowing with optimism. "Yes, I was waiting all day for this during school," Burke said. "I was hyped. I was ready for this game. We've been preparing for this all summer, and we were ready." Burke said a quintet of receivers gives him options galore. "We work every single day and I knew that we were going to do really well this game," he said. "It was pretty easy because my O-line did a great job." East head coach J.C. Simmons was optimistic about the East offense transitioning smoothly with a new quarterback. Of course, the dynamic debut had an inauspicious start. Burke's first pass was dropped and his second one was intercepted by Bryson Kimble, who returned it 19 yards to the East 16-yard line. But the Patriots defense rose to the occasion, and Burke's next pass was an 86-yard TD to Deel. "A sophomore, first start – he's got some jitters early," Simmons said. "But I'm so proud of his poise. The receivers did a great job." Burke's 25-yard TD pass to Jones looked like a major-league fastball. "That was a dot," Simmons said. "When he sets his feet and throws it and has time – our line was fighting all night. The O-line fought their butt off and gave him that time the majority of the time. When he sets his feet the kid can make every throw." Laisure caught two touchdown passes, Deel and Jones each had 100-plus yards receiving and Burke connected with five receivers in all. Johnson County turned the ball over on downs three times in the first 12-plus minutes, including twice inside the Sullivan East 30. Senior Austin Warren, who had multiple tackles for loss and an interception, spearheaded the effort. Brayden Dickens ran nine times for 76 yards for the Longhorns, who had starter at quarterback – Brock Jones – that hadn't played football since prior to middle school. "We've got a young squad, but they didn't quit," Johnson County second-year head coach Tyler Trusler said. "They kept fighting and showed some grit. … I'm really proud. That was the number one start for our quarterback ever in high school football, and it was against a good squad." Sullivan East players "streaked" toward the locker room prior to postgame interviews. Snapping the skid was cause for immediate celebration. "It's a pretty big deal," Simmons said. "We're about to go in the locker room and jump around a little bit." Sullivan East will visit Chuckey-Doak on Aug. 28 while Johnson County will host Hampton in its home opener. Sullivan East 41, Johnson County 0 Sullivan East 14 14 7 6 -- 41 Johnson County 0 0 0 0 -- 0 Scoring summary First quarter SE—Ike Deel 86 pass from Grady Burke (Jayce Bruckner kick), 8:53 SE—Colton Laisure 37 pass from Grady Burke (Jayce Bruckner kick), 4:11 Second quarter SE—Haden Jones 30 pass from Grady Burke (Jayce Bruckner kick), 10:31 SE—Haden Jones 25 pass from Grady Burkey (Jayce Bruckner kick), 2:54 Third quarter SE—Keyan Bare 5 run (Jayce Bruckner kick), 1:14 Fourth quarter SE—Colton Laisure 27 pass from Grady Burke (kick failed), 5:16