By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — The last trip the Salisbury Hornets made to Lawndale for a football game with Burns provided one of the more memorable playoff games of this century.

That was the second round of the state playoffs in a 2020 season that was delayed until the spring of 2021 by COVID. It was on a night in April that Jackson Murphy made the snap, Vance Honeycutt made the hold and Wade Robins made the 40-yard field goal as time expired. That kick gave the Hornets a 10-7 victory and the rest is history. They went on to win the 2AA state championship.

That game was played recently enough that some of the main actors are still on the stage for both programs. Salisbury’s JyMikaah Wells was a good sophomore back in the spring of 2021, and he scored the Hornets’ lone touchdown against Burns. Now he’s a great senior back. He’s been a dominating offensive force and has had one of the top seasons of all-time in the county — 202 carries, 1,918 rushing yards, 33 rushing TDs. He’s faster, quicker, stronger and better than the guy Burns was tackling in 2021. Wells is rolling at around 210 pounds, probably more, but whatever it says on the scales, it’s muscle. He’s hard to bring down.

Salisbury had Honeycutt, now a UNC baseball star, to quarterback that championship team two seasons ago, so Mike Geter played other positions, but Geter had some impactful games as a freshman, especially the week after Burns against North Davidson. Now Geter is Salisbury’s junior quarterback, an elusive lefty who can glide and slash with the rock like a running back or fire it deep with accuracy.

The Hornets, coached by first-year commander Clayton Trivett, have ridden Wells very hard the last half of the season, and have been content to let him grind opponents into dust, but they can’t beat Burns without a large game from Geter. Geter is a premium athlete who also will be counted on in the defensive secondary and as a punt returner.

Geter has 1,072 passing yards and 836 rushing yards. He’s accounted for 28 touchdowns. Those are serious numbers, considering how much the Hornets like to feed Wells.

Burns relied on several young skill players when the Hornets beat them in the spring of 2021. Ben Mauney, the freshman who had to quarterback Burns on that fateful night against Salisbury because a senior standout was injured, is now a junior superhero. Mauney has crushed secondaries this season with 2,560 passing yards and 29 touchdown passes. He’s thrown only three interceptions. His quarterback rating is through the roof.

Jeremiah Norris was a talented running back for Burns as a freshman and he’s a better back now as a junior.

Ryan Thompson, who was a tough sophomore receiver for Burns in the spring of 2021 is now a tougher senior receiver. Mauney spreads it around, throws it to a lot of different people, but Thompson is his guy. Thompson has 52 catches for 709 yards and nine touchdowns, and he’s also run for eight TDs.

Last week’s second-round playoff game in Lawndale, which is about 10 miles north of Shelby, was completed with a running clock.

If you’re wondering why that’s a big deal, well … the opponent was Shelby. No one running-clocks Shelby, but Burns smashed the Golden Lions 42-0, beating them for the second time in three weeks. Anyone who beats Shelby 42-0 is a scary opponent.

Actually, the

whole 2A West bracket is scary now that it’s down to eight teams.

Neighbors Bunker Hill and Maiden, separated by about 10 miles, will square off. Both are 11-1.

Chase is seeded eighth but is undefeated and is expected to give No. 1 seed Reidsville a fight.

East Surry is undefeated and second-seeded but is considered an underdog against lightning-fast Monroe.

Then there’s sixth-seeded Salisbury and third-seeded Burns, both 11-1. Neither has lost to a 2A squad.

Burns has played the tougher schedule because Burns is in Cleveland County where football is king. The four Cleveland County programs are a who’s who of North Carolina football — Shelby, Crest, Kings Mountain and Burns. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Salisbury’s strongest win this season came against a solid 1A squad — Thomasville — which is still playing. The Hornets’ lone loss was an ugly one — to 3A West Rowan on opening night — but the Hornets have moved on from that debacle to win 11 in a row.

Burns lost 27-0 to 3A Kings Mountain in early September, but Burns has won nine in a row since then.

It’s not surprising that Burns is favored against Salisbury — playing at home, Burns should be — but Salisbury fans may be surprised by how much the Bulldogs are favored.

Burns is a 19-point favorite, a 35-16 score projection by the Massey Ratings.

Salisbury is given only a 21 percent win probability, but when you’ve got Wells and Geter and receiver/DB Deuce Walker (29 catches, 538 yards, 6 TDs), who will be making a visit to Kentucky on Saturday, you’ve got a chance against just about anyone in 2A.

The Hornets also have RB/DB Jamal Rule (722 rushing yards, 5 TDs), who will be the ballcarrier when Wells needs a break.

The Hornets  are blessed with another good kicker/punter in sophomore Hank Webb. who also is the No. 2 receiver with four TD catches.

The offensive line has come a long way from where it was when the season started. Those guys have helped Wells look good. In turn, he’s made them look good.

The SHS defense may not be the brick wall it was in the  Zae Clay/Jalon Walker days, but it’s still good.

Hopefully, lineman Anthony Dodd and linebacker Amare Johnson can return on Friday. They missed last week’s romp against Pine Lake Prep, which was 10-1 before making the trip to Salisbury. The Hornets played well against PLP, much better than they played against Brevard in the first round of the playoffs.

The Hornets will take their best shot in Lawndale on Friday. If it comes down to a 40-yard field goal by Webb, as time expires, you know he’ll make it.