Beau Burns’ latest trick: 612 total yards, 10 touchdowns in BGM’s win

Before the bombardment of jaw-dropping, mind-boggling numbers commences, keep in mind that BGM no longer plays 8-player football.

No asterisks to this. No “yeah, buts.”

Beau Burns accounted for 612 yards and 10 touchdowns in BGM’s 74-21 Class A District 6 romp over Martensdale-St. Marys on Friday.

Yes, 612 yards — 441 rushing (on 23 carries for an average of 19.2 per attempt) and 171 passing (on 10 completions in 16 attempts).

Yes, 10 touchdowns — eight on the ground, two through the air.

“I’ve got to give credit to my linemen; they work their tails off day in and day out,” Burns told The Hometown Current. “I’m able to do what I’m able to do because of them.”

The Bears (3-2 overall, 2-2 district) overcame three first-quarter turnovers, and blew the game open with 53 consecutive points after a 21-21 tie midway through the second quarter.

“We knew we were better than that,” Burns said about the team’s start. “We just had to bounce back, keep our heads up and keep playing the way we know how to play.”

Four of Burns’ touchdown runs could be classified as lengthy — 71, 80, 61 and 66 yards.

Through five games this season, Burns has 32 offensive touchdowns to his credit — 22 rushing, 10 passing. He has rushed for 1,374 yards (12.1 per carry) and has passed for 897.

He was recently feted for surpassing the 10,000-yard mark for his career. Friday’s exploits put him at 11,147 (6,028 passing, 5,119 rushing).

BGM played 8-player football in Burns’ first three seasons.

Other Week 5 highlights

* Cascade’s Mick Hoffman completed 23 of 27 passes for 232 yards and six touchdowns in the Cougars’ 49-13 road win over Northeast.

Hoffman has thrown 18 TD passes, against no interceptions, and the Cougars (4-1 overall, 2-0 Class 1A District 5) have won four games in a row since a season-opening loss to Bellevue.

* North Linn piled up 532 yards of total offense, 389 on the ground, and moved to 5-0 with a 49-14 romp over East Buchanan in Class A District 4 at Winthrop.

Brody Martin rushed for 185 yards and a touchdown, and QB Will Sommerfelt rushed for 120 yards and a score. Sommerfelt also completed 15 of 20 passes for 143 yards and three TDs, two to Braden Wheatley.

* Don’t expect any change atop any of the seven classes in The Gazette’s weekly poll. The No. 1 teams won by a combined 333-35, with Cedar Rapids Xavier’s 4A victory over Cedar Rapids Washington the “closest,” at 42-15.

* The fifth-longest conference/district winning streak in state history is over. Clarinda edged Van Meter, 17-14, in Class 2A District 8, snapping the Bulldogs’ run of 55 consecutive district wins. Van Meter’s last district loss was in September 2015.

Peeking ahead to Week 6

Five area games that stand out next week:

* North Scott (3-2 overall, 1-0 Class 4A District 3) at Western Dubuque (3-2, 1-0): The Bobcats have reeled off three consecutive wins after an 0-2 start, and the winner is likely, extremely likely, to win the district title.

* Independence (4-1 overall, 0-1 Class 3A District 2) at West Delaware (5-0, 1-0): Indee has no time to pout after its 43-0 loss to No. 1 Clear Lake. West Delaware already has matched its win total from 2024.

* Nevada (4-1 overall, 2-0 Class 3A District 5) at Williamsburg (2-3, 2-0): The Raiders tripped previously unbeaten Des Moines Christian on Friday, and have an opportunity to put themselves firmly in the district driver’s seat.

* Bellevue (5-0 overall, 2-0 Class 2A District 5) at Alburnett (4-1, 2-0): Pirates forced four turnovers, rushed for 270 yards and topped West Branch 20-17 Friday despite not completing a pass. Three of Bellevue’s wins have come by 10 points or less.

* Edgewood-Colesburg (5-0 overall, 3-0 8-Player District 4) at Easton Valley (5-0, 3-0): A surefire 8-Player top-10 showdown at Preston. Ed-Co is averaging 55 points per game; Easton Valley is scoring at a 59-point rate.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com