Burney is heartbroken.

Despite what I reported a few days ago about Birmingham Brother Rice's football team and star wide receiver Delano Madison dodging a bullet in Week 1's injury scare, he is done for the year with a torn ACL. The scare sadly turned into a grim reality.

The news broke Thursday afternoon. What a loss, what a kid, what a true tragedy that my main man Delano is basically deprived of his entire varsity career in the Orange and Black because of bad luck (he will have only logged a half and some change in playing time in two years after suffering a season-ending injury for the second year in a row).

But the glimpses we saw were genuinely amazing. The stats were eye-popping - 2 touchdowns and an interception in the end zone (boy, did he love the end zone or what?) in a mere two of the paltry 24 minutes of action. This young man was a blur. Gone so fast to the house you could barely see him.

I hope I'm wrong, however, I believe losing Madison might wind up being the difference between Brother Rice's fourth-straight state championship and a pre-Ford Field exit from the playoffs come later this fall. His presence in the Warriors' attack is that difference-making IMO.

Knowing his teammates like I do, they'll live up to their name as WARRIORS and battle back with the grit, class and determination Burney knows lives and breathes inside each and every one of them.

That goes double for DMAD himself. Well, I guess the next time we'll see the OC FLASH flashing across the gridiron heading towards the goal-line we'll be in Kalamazoo in his WMU Broncos gear in the years to come.

To say, Delano made an impact in his short, yet so, so, so electrifying tenure in a Brother Rice uniform would be a vast understatement. To say, he'll be missed in 2014 would be too

I literally just shed a tear while writing this and honestly pray for nothing but health, happiness and prosperous pigskinning for Delano as he goes forward in his life on and off the field. God bless, 'D', God bless.