Burdine – Berks Sports Report

Amier Burdine-Reading

Paul Roberts — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 10:52:00 +0000

Two heavyweights in District 3 squared off Tuesday at the Geigle Complex. Reading is #1 in the Class 6A power rankings. Berks Catholic sits atop the 4A rankings in District 3. Last year, the Red Knights defeated the Saints 51-35 in the Berks County championship. This certainly didn’t feel like a regular season matchup. Josh McKoy got Berks Catholic out to a nice start. The 6’2 junior forward had six points in the opening quarter. Reading was up 12-11 after eight minutes. McKoy got his third foul with three and a-half minutes remaining in the first half. The Red Knights quickly turned a one point advantage into a 39-24 lead at the break. They went on a 16-2 run after McKoy’s third foul. “Our defensive intensity stepped up and that led to early offense, fast breaks,” said Amier Burdine. Ruben Rodriguez scored eight of his team-high 14 points in the second period including a dunk with 17 seconds to go. Reading earned a 63-59 victory to improve to (18-1, 8-0). McKoy hit a triple to begin the third period and ignite a 9-2 run by the (15-2, 7-2) Saints. Berks Catholic got a layup from Jack Miller on a well executed play to end the quarter. The Saints trailed 51-43 entering the final period. Ryan Koch (9 points) connected twice from beyond the arc, and Miller splashed a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left to pull Berks Catholic within 63-56. JayJay Jordan’s putback cut the deficit to five points. McKoy went 1-for-2 from the free throw line to wrap up the scoring with seven seconds remaining. The Saints ended the intense contest on an 11-3 run. Both teams struggled from the foul line. The Red Knights were 6-14, while Berks Catholic finished 4-11. Jordan, who provided 13 points, was 3-9. McKoy led everyone with 20 points. His younger brother, Kingston, chipped in with nine off the bench. The Saints were 7-23 from 3-point range. Reading went 3-13 from downtown. Aris Rodriguez and Myles Grey had 13 points apiece. Yadiel Cruz contributed 9 points and 12 rebounds. The 6’2 junior has been a valuable sixth man for the Red Knights. Burdine scored eight points. I asked the 6’2 senior forward if Reading and Berks Catholic could meet again in the county final. He replied, “For sure. They have a good team over there, a good coach. I think that could happen.” The Red Knights have won seven straight versus the Saints. Burdine, an all-county defensive back, made some news off the court on Tuesday. He committed to Division I Sacred Heart for football. “I had a great relationship with the coaches and players. The environment there felt great, and I made it my home,” said Burdine.

Amier Burdine-Reading

Paul Roberts — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 10:00:00 +0000

Amier Burdine celebrated his 17th birthday on Thursday, the eve of the high school football season. One of the greatest gifts that anyone can receive is health. After missing all of last year with a broken collarbone, the Reading dual-threat quarterback is healthy once again. “I missed it a lot because that senior class, I grew up with a lot of the kids so I wanted to be there with them,” he said. The Red Knights struggled without Burdine. They averaged just twelve points and 174 total yards per game (86 rushing ypg). Reading finished (1-7, 0-4) in the final season of Andre Doyle’s tenure. Former Red Knights’ standout linebacker Troy Godinet has taken over as head coach. “He brings energy all the time. He’s going to hold us accountable all the time,” said Burdine. Godinet was Reading’s defensive coordinator for the past four years. He piled up 105 tackles and eleven sacks while playing alongside James Bryant in 2003. The Red Knights were the District 3-4A runner-up to Cumberland Valley that season under Al Wolski. Godinet is thrilled to have Burdine back because of what he provides both on and off the field. The 6’1, 180-pound senior strives to be a role model to younger kids. Burdine replied, “I feel like I’m a good person in the classroom, and I take pride in being in my community.” Speaking of younger kids, Reading will have seven sophomores in the starting lineup for its opener at Central Dauphin East. “This is a big sophomore class. I can’t wait to come back and see how they progress through their junior and senior years,” he said. 21 of the 62 players on the Red Knights’ roster are sophomores. That class includes RB Alexis Alvarado, 350-pound NG Efrain Bonilla, 325-pound LT Keyshawn Efese, 240-pound RG Romello Fuentes, WR/S Kahlil Samuel, and the versatile Gabe Laws. The coaching staff has high hopes for Samuel (6’1, 175). Laws is a physical presence at linebacker who can squat 475 pounds. He’ll be utilized at fullback, H-back, and tight end. Burdine is very happy that Ruben Rodriguez decided to play football again this season. The two-time, first team all-state guard will be one of Burdine’s primary targets at receiver. They grew up together and have a very strong bond. Rodriguez and Burdine helped Reading win Berks County and District 3 titles on the basketball court last season. Burdine emphasized that playing for head coach Rick Perez has been very beneficial for him. “The culture Coach P has in basketball, I try to bring that to football all the time. That culture can build stuff on the football field. Hopefully we can keep progressing to have a culture like basketball,” he said. Burdine is one of a handful of two-way starters for the Red Knights in 2022. Seniors Karim Martinez (C/DE) and David Philistin (WR/CB), as well as 275-pound junior Brandon Picazo (LG/DT), will see a lot of action. Burdine, who can play safety or cornerback, told me that he now loves being on the defensive side. We also talked about the upcoming NFL season. Burdine’s favorite quarterback is Lamar Jackson, but he’s not a Ravens’ fan. He roots for the Saints. Many of his teammates cheer for the Eagles. Burdine acknowledged that he does like to watch Jalen Hurts. Burdine saw significant playing time at quarterback as a freshman. During his sophomore season, Reading played a 5-game schedule in the spring due to the Covid-19 pandemic. After being sidelined all of last year with an injury, Burdine can’t wait to be back under the Friday night lights.

Amier Burdine-Reading

Paul Roberts — Sat, 14 Aug 2021 13:30:00 +0000

Amier Burdine is one of the more experienced QB’s in the Berks Football League and he’s only entering his junior year. Burdine got significant playing time as a freshman and was the starter this Spring for the Red Knights before suffering an injury during their abbreviated season. The elusive QB was also part of Reading’s state championship basketball team. We talked about the long list of athletes in his family. Amier also revealed who the best Madden NFL player is on the Red Knights’ football team. His answer may surprise you!