No matter the situation, when Woodrow Wilson has needed a big play or spark, Gage Burdette has been able to deliver.
Whether it’s keeping the Flying Eagles on a roll or stopping the opponent’s momentum, Burdette’s philosophy makes him the classic football player in the eyes of head coach Street Sarrett.
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“He plays football the way it’s supposed to be played, on offense and defense,” Sarrett said. “He wants the ball in his hands, and he makes things happen. He’s a good football player, and he’s going to be a great football player before he gets out of here. I think he’s one of the better 4A football players in the state of West Virginia, and he can go when he wants to go.”
Burdette, a junior, wrapped up a 1,000-yard regular season last week, finishing with 1,064. He’s been the type of back who runs hard with no hesitation each time he has the ball.
“He (Sarrett) has kind of put that in my head, that when you get the ball, run through somebody’s face, and I’ll just keep carrying that through,” Burdette said. “And don’t hesitate. I just keep running downhill.”
“He has that vision,” Sarrett said. “I don’t see what he sees in his eyes; everybody sees it different. But he has that vision in football. Makes people miss. He sees the open lane, cut back, and man, he makes things happen.”
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And he doesn’t have to do it alone. Senior Javonte Wynes has also been impactful, and the guys up front are doing their part for both of them, as well as quarterback Gage Price. And Burdette appreciates it.
“It wouldn’t be known without the offensive line that I have in front of me and the people I have around me,” Burdette said. “Without them, I would be nothing.”
Sarrett also likes what he has seen out of Burdette from his spot in the secondary. It is on the defensive side where Burdette is more apt to be heard.
“He’s just kind of quiet, ‘I’m gonna do my job’ (on offense), but he’s a vocal guy on defense back here at safety,” Sarrett said. “He talks it on defense and does some things and is always positive. Keeps guys going. He doesn’t let anybody have any negative talk. He corrects people when there’s negative talk going on from a player or something.”
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Burdette feels he has progressed well on that side of the ball.
“When I played my freshman year they didn’t let me play defense because I played quarterback,” Burdette recalled. “When I moved to running back (as a sophomore) they let me play defense, and since then it’s been (moving) up.”
Sarrett also said it helps that Burdette is coachable.
“He doesn’t not like getting coached hard. He loves getting coached hard,” Sarrett said. “It doesn’t matter who it is, whether it’s me, Coach (Brent) Osborne, Coach (Scott) Wilkes, Coach (Doug) Legursky. It doesn’t matter, man. He thrives on it.”
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Burdette and the Flying Eagles (4-6) are the No. 11 seed in the Class AAAA playoffs and will get a second shot at Huntington Friday night at Huntington’s Bob Sang Field. Kickoff will be 7 p.m.
The No. 6 Highlanders defeated Woodrow 50-15 Sept. 25 in Beckley in a game Sarrett called “our worst game.” Now they have a chance to avenge it.
“I think since we played them already in the season, we can go back and watch that game film and prepare for them a little bit better than we did before,” Burdette said. “It’s really exciting because that would be a good get back, and they’re a good football team. And if we win that, that’s a big game.”
