Beau Burns and BGM are set for another high-scoring football season

BROOKLYN — Beau Burns is a playmaker.

In fact, statistically speaking, there is not a better returning playmaker in the state.

With the Iowa high school football season kicking off Friday night with a sprinkling of Week 0 games, BGM's junior quarterback will get a head start on matching last season's numbers when the Bears host Iowa Valley.

At 6-foot and 180 pounds, Burns is the trigger man for BGM. As a passer, he completed 182 of 296 passes for 2,516 yards and 35 touchdowns. As a runner, Burns carried the ball 139 times, racking up 1,456 yards and 21 touchdowns.

He led the Bears to a 5-4 record which ended with a heartbreaking 78-77 loss to Iowa Valley in the opening round of the 8-Player playoffs.

Such a heavy workload might be seen as a burden by some players.

Not Burns.

“I love having the ball in my hands and being able to make plays for my team,” he said.

Another twist for Burns is the fact his head coach also is his father. Jerod Burns is in his 19th season at the school. The younger Burns said playing for his father has helped him improve his game.

“Playing for my dad is tough sometimes,” Beau Burns said. “He expects a lot of me but I welcome the challenge, and it helps me expect more from myself. He pushes me to be the best version of myself.”

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Beau Burns, who also averaged 35 yards a punt last season, was a second-team all-state selection by the Iowa Football Coaches Association/Iowa Print Sports Writers Association. His father said Beau's versatility in the wide-open 8-Player game makes him tough to defend.

“He is a dual threat which makes him a tough prep,” Coach Burns said of his son, who led the state last year in total yards and touchdowns. “We also have several very talented receivers and he has several good options when throwing the ball.

“We also have a very talented and athletic offensive line which allows us to do a variety of things offensively.”

BGM's top returning receivers are a pair of seniors. Dakota Heishman (6-0, 150) had 42 catches for 506 yards and five TDs. Tate Martin (6-0, 190) caught 27 balls for 317 yards and eight scores. Another senior, Tucker Wright (5-11, 150), also will be in the mix at receiver.

“We have really hit the ground running with the experience we have,” Coach Burns said. “We are much further ahead than a year ago.”

A key to BGM's success might be the development of junior Nathan Findley (5-10, 175).

“Nathan will play our H back, a combo running back/receiver position,” Coach Burns said. “If he has a breakout year I think we will be a very tough team.”

Senior Griffin Berry (6-0, 270), along with juniors Landen Cooling (6-2, 185) and Ben Cadden (6-2, 220) all started on the offensive line in 2023.

On defense, the Bears posted a pair of shutouts, but also allowed 48 points or more in each of their four losses. For those numbers to improve, BGM will need the likes of senior linebacker Brooks Davis (5-11, 200, 40 tackles in 2023) to step up along with Berry, Cooling and Cadden up front and Martin, Heishman, Wright, Findlay and junior Landon Hassett (5-8, 140) on the back end.

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Depth, almost always an issue at the 8-Player level, could make a difference for the Bears in 2023.

“We have 35 players participating this season,” Coach Burns said. “Having a very large freshman class has allowed us to focus on preparing the young guys for our scrimmage (last) Friday and not just putting them on the scout team to help our varsity kids prepare.”

BGM has one of the state's toughest schedules, beginning with the Iowa Valley team that defeated the Bears twice. Both teams are receiving votes in The Gazette’s preseason poll. Gladbrook-Reinbeck is ranked seventh and Belle Plaine, Montezuma and Moravia are capable of being in the top 10, according to Coach Burns.

“Iowa Valley is really good and very well coached,” Coach Burns said. “The fact that they sent us packing and beat us twice last year has been very motivating for me but we are trying not to make that a focal point because sometimes kids get too focused on the wrong details and it affects their mentality.”

Beau Burns said the goals go beyond the first game.

“I think we all really enjoy practicing and playing together,” he said. “This season should be fun regardless of the wins and losses but we definitely want to repeat as district champs and improve on our record and playoff performance.”