Eli Burns of the CFCA middle school boys basketball team.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Barbara Myatt)

Fifth-grader Eli Burns is a Cape Fear Christian Academy legacy. He plays on the middle school boys basketball team.

His mother, Kamie Reaves Burns, is a former Female Athlete of the Year at CFCA. She graduated in 1998.

His dad is Tommy Burns, former Harnett County manager, who now serves in that capacity in Carteret County.

Tommy Burns played at Shelby Crest for Ed Peeler, who also coached N.C. State legend David Thompson in high school.

Eli’s dad’s first cousin’s husband, Brandon Beane, is general manager of the Buffalo Bills. Beane, who studied at UNC Wilmington, worked for the Carolina Panthers from 1998 to 2016.

Eli Burns handles the ball in a recent middle school game.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Barbara Myatt)