Battling an iron deficiency during the dual-meet portion of the season, Burns started off as North Kingstown's sixth runner. But by the end of the year, he had established himself as the Skippers' top harrier. The senior did not compete in the Class A meet so he would have plenty of iron reserves for the State Championship, and he responded that day by finishing second to Hendricken's Andrew Palumbo with a time of 16:11, and in the process helped North Kingstown capture its first state title in 16 years. Burns capped off his season by finishing 38th overall, fourth among Rhode Islanders, at the New England Championship in 16:42. ``Brandon sets very high goals for himself and is not afraid to put the work in to attain those goals,'' said coach Paul Tetreault. ``In my 24 years of coaching, I don't think I've ever worked with an athlete who is so mentally tough during the final stretch of a race. If he's close, then he believes that he can win.''