HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Big plays for J.I. Burton in big win

BY TIM HAYES

Bristol Herald Courier

NORTON — Playoff time has arrived for football teams in Southwest Virginia. That only means one thing in Norton – big plays and big wins for J.I. Burton.

Sophomore Martinez Miles scored touchdowns in three different ways to highlight J.I. Burton’s 48-6 victory over St. Paul on Saturday afternoon in the Region D, Division 1 semifinals.

Burton (10-1) will play Clintwood in next Saturday’s regional title game at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise.

The Raiders will aim for their fifth consecutive region championship.

On Saturday, Miles was too much for St. Paul (8-3) to handle. He caught a touchdown pass from Ethan Stewart, returned an interception for a score and also had a rushing TD.

His first two scores came during a 1 minute, 26 second span in the first quarter that put the Raiders comfortably ahead.

"That was our game scheme," Miles said. "We just figured we would come out and play hard and set the tone early."

Burton has been plagued by several injuries this season, but the Raiders have consistently gotten production from the 5-foot-10, 186-pound Miles.

"He’s a playmaker," Burton coach Jim Adams said. "He’s a sophomore and his best days are ahead of him. He got a lot of experience last year as a freshman. We think that he’s got a chance to be a special player before he leaves here."

The Burton defense was also impressive as the Raiders showed no ill effects from a 33-7 loss to Gate City two weeks ago in their regular-season finale.

"We didn’t play well Game 10," Adams said. "We’re our own worst critic. I knew the defense would come out juiced today and I think they did the things they had to do."

St. Paul, the Cumberland District champion, was no match for Burton. However, the Deacons did receive another strong performance from senior Josh Brooks.

Brooks rushed for 126 yards, caught two passes for 46 yards, picked off a pass and got the Deacons on the board with a 2-yard TD run with 17.5 seconds remaining. He finished the season with 1,686 rushing yards and a Southwest Virginia-leading 32 touchdowns.

"There are many fine players in this region and Josh Brooks is one of them," St. Paul coach Mark Palmer said. "There’s some on that level, but to me Josh is outstanding. He ran hard against a great defense. On defense, he picked off a pass and was all over the field making tackles.

"I can’t say enough about him. He’s as good of a player as I’ve ever been able to coach."