Thursday, March 17, 2011

East's Burke signs to play at Concordia

From the County Press
A Lapeer East Eagle will become a Cardinal in the fall as senior Jacob Burke signed his national letter of intent to play football at Concordia University.

Burke will play wide receiver at the next level in the Pistol Spread Option offense, which has four wide receivers on the field at all times. Though the offense is relatively new, the coaching staff at Concordia believes they can put Burke in position to make plays with the ball in his hands and believes he is a perfect fit for a student-athlete at Concordia.

The senior also played in the defensive backfield for the Eagles on defense and was a part of the basketball team. Burke chose Concordia over other schools that included Albion College, Adrian College and Siena Heights University.

He selected Concordia over the other schools because he liked the campus. He believes his biggest challenge as he moves on to college athletics will be preparing for the better competition he will face and how much time football will consume in college.

The intended communications major is excited about meeting his new teammates and facing new competition at his position in a bid for playing time.

Lapeer East coach Jake Weingartz said he believes Burke will have no problems translating his game to the collegiate level. “Jake has great athleticism and he is an overall playmaker on the field. He made a lot of plays for us this season. He was a big reason we were as successful as we were this season,” Weingartz said.

“He will be a very productive wide receiver in college,” Weingartz added. “He will have to get in the weight room and continue to get bigger, faster and stronger, but there is no reason he won’t have a successful four years.”

Photo by Eric Hohenthaner

Photo Caption:
Lapeer East senior Jacob Burke signs his letter of intent with Concordia University as he is surrounded by his parents and Concordia coaches.