Football players step into spotlight one final time in all-star game
Nearly 10 minutes after the Kansas All-Stars had suffered a 28-24 loss to Missouri in the Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association All-Star football game last week at Blue Springs High School, David Burton gathered around his family.
Burton, who just graduated from Olathe Northwest High School, had just played his final game as a high school football player. His next chapter starts this summer at Butler County Community College.
Despite the loss in the all-star game, Burton savored the moment and family members captured it with postgame photos.
“Growing up, I felt like I was going to do something special in football,” Burton said. “It meant a lot to represent Kansas for the 2016 (game).”
The Kansas and Missouri all-stars treated an estimated crowd of 4,000 fans to a highly entertaining game that featured three lead changes in the second half.
After a scoreless first quarter, Kansas controlled most of the second quarter. Kansas scored first and fooled Missouri with a two-point conversion play that put the Kansas all-star ahead 8-0.
“It started off that we were coming out here to have fun, then it started getting chippy and turned into a real game and everybody not liking the other team. Then we wanted to pound them in the dirt,” said Burton, who played linebacker.
At halftime, Kansas held a slim 15-14 lead.
In the third quarter, Missouri took its first lead at 21-18. Kansas regained the lead on a stellar pass play from St. Thomas Aquinas quarterback Karter Odermann to Mill Valley wide receiver Christian Jegen, making it 24-21.
Missouri, though, scored the only touchdown in the fourth quarter and pulled out the victory. Still, Kansas players, like Burton, walked away feeling good about the effort they put forth. A year ago, Missouri crushed Kansas 35-7.
“It was a great experience to play with kids who I didn’t know and learning how they played and building a friendship with them,” Burton said.
The years Burton played football at Olathe Northwest were even more rewarding.
“It was a great time. I made a lot of friendships,” Burton said. “There were a lot of coaches who inspired me during my time in high school.”
Burton is now ready to show what he can do at the college level.
“I am looking forward to getting to the next level and showing college teams that I am ready to play at a higher level,” he said.
This story was originally published June 22, 2016 at 4:36 PM with the headline "Football players step into spotlight one final time in all-star game."