WHATABURGER / ETBLITZ.COM PLAYERS OF THE WEEK? | They’re Overton’s Furlow, Arp’s Birdsong!

Overton High School kicker Jackson Furlow (out of the hold of quarterback Bryce Still) hit the game-winning field goal against Mart last week, helping the Mustangs win that playoff game, 31-30. Furlow and Maddie Birdsong of Arp are the Whataburger / ETBlitz.com Players of the Week for the week of Nov. 18-23! (Photo by RONNIE SARTORS – SPORT SHOT PHOTOGRAPHY – ETBLITZ.COM)

It’s not often a kicker wins – or even gets nominated – for a player of the week award.

It’s also not often a kicker makes as big of a kick as Overton High School freshman Jackson Furlow did last Friday night.

And Arp’s Maddie Birdsong? She’s made an impression, too, early in the Lady Tigers’ basketball season.

Here at ETBlitz.com, we make it a point to present our awards to those who deserve it. If that’s a quarterback, a receiver, a running back, an offensive lineman, a cornerback, a libero in volleyball, a catcher in softball or baseball that makes a third-out tag in a bang-bang play at home – heck, a bull-rider who has two or three killer rides in one night.

You name it, and if it’s a huge, game-changing performance, we’ll recognize it – like a basketball player who comes off the bench to hit a big three-point shot, and a pair of free throws to ice a state playoff game.

And that’s the equivalent of what Furlow did on Friday.

Arp High School senior Maddie Birdsong (foreground) and Overton High School freshman Jackson Furlow are the Whataburger / ETBlitz.com Players of the Week for their performances last week, Nov. 18-23. (Photo above courtesy of DENISE BARDSLEY)

He took the field a handful of times in the Mustangs’ University Interscholastic League (UIL) Class 2A, Division II area game against powerhouse Mart, each time with the pressure of the state bearing down on his shoulders.

And Furlow, who does ever so often play defense for Overton, as well, was just plain money. He delivered: two extra points, and most importantly, he kicked a 24-yard field goal to give Overton the lead – the final say – with 10 seconds left in an eventual 31-30 win over the Mart Panthers, shaking up the 2A playoffs, and dare we say, shocking the state with the score heard ‘round Texas. Mart had been to the 2A state championship game six straight years before Furlow’s kick.

There won’t be a seventh.

And for his performance, Jackson Furlow is the Whataburger / ETBlitz.com boys Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 18-23!

It wasn’t like Jackson had no experience with big kicks. This award is for what Furlow did against Mart. But just a flashback: he was also put into a pressure cooker a few weeks ago, in a District 11-2A, Division II game at Mount Enterprise on Nov. 1.

With second place in the district behind Lovelady on the line, Overton came out in the first quarter and was bowled over. The Wildcats were up by double-digits, and 32-16 at halftime.

But the defense began to stop Mount Enterprise. The offense got its act together and before long, Overton was in front. Mount Enterprise would send the game into overtime, but it would be the Mustangs – specifically on a kick by Furlow – that would have the last word, an extra point that broke a 44-44 tie, giving Overton a 45-44 win and the second seed from the district into the 2A-DII playoffs.

Now, Ms. Birdsong…

Maddie is a senior at Arp High School and, honestly, a multi-sport athlete. She just came to basketball from three to four months of playing volleyball for the Lady Tigers, and she’s needed – it’s always good news to get a great athlete into your lineup.

So Arp journeyed to Beckville last Tuesday, and dealt Beckville’s Lady Bearcats a 43-25 loss, outscoring Beckville 22-7 in the first half and never looking back.

Birdsong had 11 points and led Arp in scoring, including one three-point shot, and also had 12 total rebounds (seven on offense, five on defense), four steals and three assists in the win.

Later in the week, the Lady Tigers went to Harleton for a tournament. They dropped two of three: a four-point loss to the home team (39-35) to open the tournament on Thursday, a 40-28 loss to Joaquin to finish the tournament Saturday, and a 37-19 win over Big Sandy sandwiched in between, on Friday.

In the loss to Harleton, Maddie had 13 points, four rebounds and three assists. She only had two rebounds and an assist against Joaquin, but in the win over Big Sandy, she had 13 points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal.

So, 37 points in four total games, over five days, not to mention her rebounds, steals and assists.

For her performances last week for Arp girls basketball, Maddie Birdsong is the Whataburger / ETBlitz girls Player of the Week for Nov. 18-23!

Both of our winners this week are first-time winners, and will receive gifts from Whataburger, and a special, Whataburger-colored ETBlitz Player of the Week T-shirt and pen.

A panel selects both the boys winner and girls winner each week, based on statistics but not solely on that – also based on level / quality of competition and game circumstances and implications.

Here are our winners so far this school year, for anyone who’d like to go back and read:

With Overton and Kilgore still going in the UIL’s football playoffs, there’s a great chance that the ETBlitz.com crew winds up sitting around a table at Whataburger this weekend.

And why not? If you’re hungry, you might as well treat yourself and go to the best.

Plus, they’re available; they’re trustworthy. They’re open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and serve breakfast each day beginning at 11 p.m., up through breakfast time until about 11 a.m.

Whataburger’s menu is second-to-none: in fact, take a look right here: Whataburger | Order Online with Curbside and Delivery.

And Whataburger and ETBlitz.com once again congratulate Maddie Birdsong and Jackson Furlow, our most recent Whataburger / ETBlitz Players of the Week1

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