CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — 

For the second time this season, a U.S. Coast Guard Academy football player has received the prestigious New England Football Writers (NEFW) Gold Helmet Award.

Bears sophomore quarterback Sean Burns (Absecon, N.J.) earned this week's Division II/III honor for his efforts in Saturday's historic 92-60 Homecoming Weekend win over Nichols College. Merrimack placekicker Carlton Thai earned the Division I variant.

Coast Guard and Nichols combined for the most points scored in Division III football history, with the Bears' total being just one point off of the program record for points in a game set against Anna Maria College in 2023. Burns himself was the engine in the offensive effort by throwing for a career-high 384 yards to go with a mind-boggling six touchdowns on 20 completions without throwing an interception. His touchdown total tied that of program legend Derek Victory '17, who was present at the game due to be being one of CGA's most recent Athletics Hall of Fame inductees just a couple of days prior.

Burns is also the second Coast Guard football player to earn the NEFW's weekly honor, joining typical backfield partner Harrison Hensley (Riverview, Fla.) in that category. The Bears' junior running back earned the award following his Week 1 performance in his team's 56-49 overtime loss at the University of New England, in which he set program records of 324 rushing yards and 371 all-purpose yards to go with his four touchdowns on the day.

Burns has been impressive as the first man to take up the QB1 mantle following program great and former three-year starter Joey Armentrout '25, and he'll get his biggest test of the season this Saturday when the Bears travel to Worcester Polytechnic Institute for their NEWMAC opener at noon. Coast Guard were victims of defeat in last year's meeting with the Engineers via a 14-38 result.