BURGESS, BENSON HONORED… | as Whataburger / ETBlitz.com’s Players of the Week
Kilgore High School soccer standout Reese Burgess (above; courtesy of SHEPSTYLE CREATIVE), the Whataburger / ETBLITZ.COM Girls Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 26 through March 2. Below: Brodey Benson, a sophomore pitcher for Kilgore High’s baseball team, the Whataburger / ETBLITZ.COM Boys Player of the Week! (Photo by REBECCA HALE, courtesy of KELLY TANNER)
He made one appearance for Kilgore’s Diamond ‘Dogs last week in the Whataburger Oil Belt Classic Tournament at Driller Park.
But he made the most of it.
And our girls honoree returned from an injury earlier this season and had an assist to help her team win once last week, then scored to help them win another.
Coach Todd BonDurant’s Kilgore High School girls soccer program began its season dropping a few scrimmages and with several players out, visiting the trainers room. One of them was Reese Burgess, who had to work her way through injuries and get back into the lineup a few weeks ago.
She did so, and now has helped the Lady Bulldogs secure seven straight wins.
Last week, she had an assist in a 7-0 win at New Diana, and then had a goal in a 5-0 win at Tenaha.
For her performances in those two games, Reese Burgess is the Whataburger / ETBlitz.com Girls Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 26 through March 2.
Now, at the Whataburger Oil Belt Classic – yep, the sixth year Whataburger sponsored the event, the 59th Oil Belt Classic – Kilgore baseball fans got a glimpse of the future, but it very well could mean the future is now.
It sure looked like it on Saturday.
Kilgore baseball coach Eugene Lafitte gave the ball to sophomore pitcher Brodey Benson and said, “Go win this thing, son.” And Benson did have help, as Colt Bullard came on and threw an inning and a third, too.
But Benson, a right-handed pitcher, was fantastic in 4 2/3 innings. He faced 19 batters and threw 82 pitches. Did he give up a few walks? Yeah, he allowed five of ‘em. And he allowed three hits, too. But he struck out seven batters. And best of all? He gave up no runs. Not one. Not a single one. Bullard didn’t, either, in his 1 1/3 innings pitched and five batters faced, and they combined to help Kilgore hold Hardin Jefferson scoreless.
Cason Edney hit an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth to bring home Cade Cox, and that would be enough (with the tournament time limit after HJ’s next at-bat) to win a 1-0 game.
And for his performance in that contest, Brody Benson is the Whataburger / ETBlitz.com Boys Player of the Week.
Congratulations to both Reese Burgess and Brodey Benson, and if you’d like to look back at any of our previous players of the week, here they are:
- WHATABURGER / ETBLITZ.COM PLAYERS OF THE WEEK | First-ever winners are Kilgore’s Diego Rojas, Phenix Rivers!
- WHATABURGER/ ETBLITZ.COM PLAYERS OF THE WEEK | KC stars step up in conference games
- WHATABURGER/ETBLITZ.COM PLAYERS OF THE WEEK | Sabine’s McNatt, Kilgore’s Lexi Lara
- WHATABURGER/ ETBLITZ.COM PLAYERS OF THE WEEK | A Sabine soccer star shines, and a Kilgore Bulldog helps his team get back on track
- WHATABURGER / ETBLITZ.COM PLAYERS OF THE WEEK | KC’s Muttilib, Henderson’s Clater
- WHATABURGER / ETBLITZ.COM PLAYERS OF THE WEEK | It’s McNatt (AGAIN!) and Kilgore’s Cedillo
- WHATABURGER / ETBLITZ.COM PLAYERS OF THE WEEK! | Drumroll, please… Aw, heck; it’s Kilgore’s Reyes and Sabine’s Anguiano
- WHATABURGER / ETBLITZ.COM PLAYERS OF THE WEEK | Kilgore’s Bullard, KC’s Lieme
Of course, Whataburger is the sponsor for our players of the week, and you can check out their menu every minute of every day online right here: Whataburger | Order Online with Curbside and Delivery.
Or, you can do like we do at ETBlitz.com, and this is not a joke: after every game, we hit Whataburger, usually get a booth, and stay until we’re finished and talk about the key moments of the game while either Mitch Lucas or Joe Hale – or both – are finishing up their stories.
Somebody almost always gets breakfast, because they start serving it at 11 p.m., and they don’t quit until 11 a.m. the next day. Check out their jalapeno cheddar biscuit!