AUBURN – Grady Burns and Bruce Gerry have dubbed themselves “Thunder and Lightning,” although they don’t distinguish between who is “Thunder” and who is “Lightning.”

“We did it kind of on a whim, but it seems to really fit. When one of us strikes, the other is close by,” said Burns, Edward Little’s senior guard and nose tackle.

“We like to share. We don’t want to cause any problems,” joked Gerry, who lines up next to Burns on offense, at center, and behind him on defense, at middle linebacker.

“Lately, it seems like Bruce has been more ‘Lightning’ than I have,” Burns said with a smile.

Indeed, Gerry has been in the middle of virtually every play on defense the last few weeks. He and Burns both scored defensive touchdowns against Messalonskee in the Pine Tree Conference semifinals. Last week against Lewiston, Gerry recorded 13 tackles, a sack, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

“It’s almost like there’s been a switch that’s just been flipped, Gerry said. “Each game I’ve been thinking it could be the last game I play, so I just play like it’s all I’ve got. I’ve been able to see things instinctively better and (defensive coach Travis) Dube has helped me a lot.”

EL coach Darren Hartley chalked up Gerry’s emergence on defense to becoming quicker with his reads and keeping his solid 190-pound frame intact over the summer.

“Bruce was always an edge player right through middle school and the first couple off years in the program. We moved him to linebacker because he’s got really great quickness … and the mental piece didn’t come to him easy,” Hartley said. “The other thing is, he’s always left during the summer and gone to Canada to work for his grandfather, and he’s always left 185 pounds and come back under 180 and he suffers. This year before he went, I just begged him to be cognizant of his weight. He came back and he retained 190, and it’s been the difference for the whole season.”

It doesn’t hurt that Gerry has a 5-foot-8, 213-pound fire plug lining up in front of him. Burns commands double-teams from the nose tackle spot, where he not only plugs up the middle but can make plays from sideline to sideline.

“He’s just so fast and strong,” Hartley said. “He just controls you with great quickness and great strength. If he locks you out, you’re in trouble.”

Burns and Gerry anchor an offensive line that has locked out defenders all season. The line is charged with opening holes for EL’s underrated running game, but it’s most important assignment is keeping all-conference quarterback Cody Goddard upright.

“It’s a point of pride,” Burns said. “Every time we score a big touchdown or complete a big pass, knowing that we gave Cody enough time to get the ball off, it’s rewarding.”

It’s been a very rewarding fall for the offensive line, which has given up just three sacks all season (and Hartley insists Goddard is to blame on each for holding onto the ball too long).

Burns, who played fullback up until this year, has made occasional appearances in the backfield for goal-line situations this fall. He hasn’t been back there since a crucial fumble in the Eddies’ only loss of the season up to Bangor, although Hartley says he’ll give him the ball again in the right situation.

“Being in a position like that where you see it tangibly slip away from you is tough,” Burns said, “but it’s all about coming back the next week.”

Battling back from adversity has been a year-long theme for the Eddies since they finished 1-7 last year. It marked a sudden downturn in the careers of the current seniors, who had only lost one game through their sophomore year.

Gerry and Burns, both among the top students in their class, observed the Eddies may have needed some humble pie to make their run this year, which continues this Saturday when they host Skowhegan for the Pine Tree Conference championship.

“I almost wonder if last year was kind of good for us,” Gerry said. “It kind of brought us back to earth and really lit the fire under us.”

“I think it’s just us being another year older, more mature and willing to lay it on the line that much longer and just finish what we started,” Burns said.