As the lights get ready to shine once more on Friday nights, the Mansfield Tigers are counting on a duo of battle-tested leaders to set the tone for their upcoming season. Seniors Andrew and Matthew Burton are the brothers whose grit and chemistry have become the heart of the team and are gearing up for what promises to be a defining final chapter in their high school football careers.
With years of experience, countless hours in the weight room, and a hunger to leave a lasting legacy, these two are more than ready to lead Mansfield into a season of high expectations and even higher intensity.
The Burton family is well known for making an impact in Mansfield athletics. Last season, Samuel and Daniel Burton were enormous factors in the Tigers’ rushing attack. The duo rushed for a combined 2,555 yards and 36 touchdowns last season.
With two of the leading scorers for Mansfield now graduated, it’s time for a new set of senior Burtons to step in. While Samuel and Daniel were a perfect mix of speed and agility, Andrew and Matthew are an absolute powerbomb of strength and force.
Andrew Burton has played football for eleven years in a variety of positions. His athleticism makes him the perfect player for the Tigers to put wherever there’s a need. Need a hard-hitting linebacker on defense who can turn into a velcro covering safety on the next play? Andrew is your guy.
How about a bulldozing running back that plows his way through an eleven-man box with ease but can also run a perfect post route at wide receiver? Yup, that’d be an Andrew Burton thing again. Basically, Burton is a 6’1, 200-pound bull that has no limitations on the football field. As with any bull, the last thing you want to do is make him mad. Just ask Newport.
After seeing his big brother get knocked out of Mansfield’s 2024 State Playoff game against the Greyhounds, Andrew went from a mere running back into a red-eyed, raging beast and rolled Newport in the second half, scoring three touchdowns and plowing over every orange helmet he could find.
While his talent is out of this world, Andrew’s personality is down-to-earth. Burton is usually quiet and to himself without a helmet on, but when he pulls that chinstrap tight, he’s focused on nothing but the task at hand.
When asked who he would consider as a rival, Andrew’s picks were those who have challenged him the most. “I’d have to say Booneville and Charleston,” said Burton. “They’ve always been tough programs to play against”. It’s the challenge that Burton lives for, and that’s why his most memorable games are the Tigers’ narrow 14-13 victory at Hoxie in the 2023 State Playoffs and of course, that ever-impressive win against Newport in 2024.
With all of his accolades, Andrew still has one left that has eluded him and the Tigers, the 3A State Championship. “That’s the final goal”, exclaimed Burton. “We are working on a trip to Little Rock this year”.
Photos courtesy of Joey Bolin
The word power is thrown around a lot in modern-day football. A player has to be 6’10 and 270 pounds while benching 350 pounds and running a 4.4-second forty-yard dash to be known as a powerful player. Matthew Burton has none of those stats to his name.
What he does have is something much more valuable to a team, especially Mansfield. Matthew has an unwavering amount of determination. Coming in at 5’10 and 210 pounds, Matthew may be overlooked by opposing coaches as they plan for their game against Mansfield, but once the opening kickoff happens, they wind up looking directly at him.
Burton’s fearlessness, determination, and power have led him to take on monstrous linemen and then turn around to chase down elusive quarterbacks.
In his eight years of playing football, Matthew has grown exponentially in his understanding of the game. With its ever-growing knowledge and willingness to play anywhere, Burton has snapped the ball and battled in the trenches as a center, blocked and ran short routes as a tight end, plowed through the trash as a running back, and has even had some successful time as a wide receiver.
His mixed bag of skills doesn’t stay on the offensive side of the ball, though, as Matthew has also shuffled around between defensive end and linebacker in his tenure. Being a jack of all trades has allowed Matthew to put in quite a bit of time on the field and has given him a variety of experiences. “I’d say that my most memorable game was when we beat Hoxie in the 2023 Playoffs,” said Burton. “That was just a wild one”.
Burton also has his eyes on making up for last season’s loss to Lamar. As with every program in the state, Matthew’s final goal is to do his part to help take the Mansfield Tigers to the 3A State Championship game in Little Rock.
If anyone thought that the Tigers would struggle with the loss of last year’s Burton boys, they might want to think again. There is no doubt that both Andrew and Matthew Burton will be important keys to Mansfield’s success in 2025.
Their strength, focus, and overall athleticism could make them a coach’s dream and a starter for any program in the state. But it’s the red and white Mansfield jersey that the Burton brothers pull over their shoulder pads, and they’ll do everything they can to try and make Tiger Town into a Title Town.
