PAHOKEE – It looks as if Frank Burgess may go down as the best defensive player this year in Palm Beach County.
The first-year varsity football player and senior defensive end stated his case with a game to remember in last week’s Class 1A playoff game against Hawthorne. He tallied four tackles, three sacks, two fumble recoveries, and a game-icing touchdown in the fourth quarter of his team’s 28-14 win.
Burgess’s postseason debut effort couldn’t have gone any better. He even got an easy assist from fellow senior, team leader, and Syracuse verbal commit Latarie Kinsler, who recorded a sack and forced fumble to set up the game-icing score with 6:41 left in the fourth.
This memorable performance led to Burgess ending up as our MVP of Week 13.
“He deserves it,” Kinsler said.
Burgess, who is currently a South Florida verbal commit, spoke on his memorable outing from last Friday night (Nov. 15) at Anquan Boldin Stadium.
“I felt good that my touchdown iced the game,” said Burgess, who leads all Palm Beach County players with 22 sacks for the season. “It got the crowd turnt [turned up], and everybody was calling my name. I felt the love, and I had to make up for a interception I dropped earlier in the season in the rain.”
Burgess had more to say about his MVP performance.
“Felt like the game was just coming me,” Burgess said. “I wasn’t forcing nothing. Sometimes in the game you find yourself chasing sacks. I just stayed disciplined to my assignments and everything came to me.”
Pahokee junior athlete Geoffrey McKelton marveled at the journey Burgess has been on this year.
“This is his first playing high school football and he’s already made a name for himself,” McKelton said. “Just imagine if he was playing all four years with us.”
Pahokee assistant coach Latwan Banks raved about Burgess’s performance as well.
“Boy balled out,” Banks said. “It’s well deserved. This kid has been busting his tail the whole year. He’s been flying under the radar, and for him to get recognized as MVP and win it, it’s gratifying to say the least.”
Pahokee (5-5; No. 2 seed in Class 1A – Region 4) will play its next game tomorrow night (Nov. 22, 7 p.m. kickoff) at home against Chiefland (8-4; No. 5 seed) in the Class 1A – Region 4 finals. The Pahokee-Chiefland winner will move on to the Class 1A state semifinals next week (Friday, Nov. 29).
So what does Pahokee expect from our MVP of Week 13 against Chiefland?
“The same he’s been doing, causing chaos,” McKelton said.
We’ll see how it all unfolds for Burgess and the Pahokee Blue Devils in less than 36 hours.
