High School Huddle Camp Tour: Burr & Burton

MANCHESTER, VT – The Burr & Burton Bulldogs enter the 2024 season having lost their starting quarterback, but hoping to defend their Division I title.

“Last year, the preseason rankings had us at like fourth. So, you know, we thought that was so disrespectful. And, I mean, we proved everyone wrong. We won it all,” said Thomas Sheldon, a cornerback and receiver. “Now this year, Burlington [Free Press] had us at sixth. So, I mean, we have a target on our back, but at the same time, we’re still also underdogs, which is good to see. So we’re ready to show out and show them why we won the chip last year.”

Hudson Deck, a receiver and safety agreed. “Coming off a championship, a lot of normal programs would expect that to be a rebuilding year, but for us, I think we got a bunch of talented young guys,” he said. “So it’s not necessarily like a rebuild. It’s more like a reload and just getting guys filling into positions and stepping up.”

Burr & Burton’s biggest hole to fill is recently graduated quarterback Jack McCoy, who won the Gatorade player of the year last season.

“Obviously, that’s huge, right? I read an article the other week. It’s been like eight years since a McCoy or a Stalcup hasn’t been a quarterback for Burr and Burton. I think just his experience is big, but I think we got guys that are equally hungry. We got two kids, two young underclassmen that can really sling it,” said Deck.

With McCoy gone, the Bulldogs have to find some new strengths. One of them is: “Offensive line is definitely a strength for sure,” said head coach Tom McCoy. “We have five out of six seniors playing on the offensive line. I’m hoping that our running game is strong this year.

“We definitely have winning culture,” said Deck. “There’s an ‘X’ on your back saying you’re from here. Getting to play here, we’re a bigger school, campus is beautiful. Yeah, there’s definitely some expectation to hold up.

“I understand that we’re the defending champs and we’ve developed a strong program here at Burr and Burton. We’ve had a lot of success over the years,” said head coach McCoy. “So it’s just about taking it one week at a time, one game at a time, and not getting too caught up in what’s happened in the past.”

Burr & Burton heads to Brattleboro to begin its season on August 30. It’s home opener is week 2 against Hartford; that’s a championship rematch.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC22 & FOX44.