Alex Bureck will go down in Saxony High School football history, having made the first two touchdowns in the school’s JV game against the Doniphan Dons. This is the first year of football at the Jackson school, and the Sept. 3 game was the first on its 2024 schedule. Starting with a JV team, the school will move to the varsity level next year.
According to the 16-year-old junior from Perryville, he has always been interested in sports, having played Little League and other sports as a youngster. He began attending Saxony two years ago as a freshman.
“I really like it,” he said. “I feel like it's a great experience being surrounded by God and a bunch of people who are close and friendly to everybody.”
Asked how he felt when he heard Saxony was going to field its first football team, Bureck, who plays running back, said, “I was super excited and ready to see what would happen because I was never given the chance to play football, and I always wanted to. The team gets along great. We’re all pretty much best friends. If anybody needs anything, everybody’s there to help and do their part, so it’s pretty awesome.”
Bureck is also a big fan of head football coach OJ Turner.
“He's a great guy, and he's interested in helping everybody get better and improve so that we can be the best team that we can be,” he said. “Before each practice, we always pray, and he pushes football as a big part of life. It helps you to realize how, even if it gets tough — like after games and whatnot — you’re really sore, but you’ve got to keep pushing. Life may be getting hard, but you’ve got to just keep getting up.”
Before the team’s first game against the Dons, Bureck was excited to finally have the chance to get out on the field and play.
“I was also a little nervous because I'd never played in a real football game before,” he said. “Being in the game felt amazing. It was one of the greatest feelings ever. I went out there and was overwhelmed with joy, and all the fans just made me feel great and everything.”
While Bureck may have been the player who made the first two touchdowns, he wasn’t willing to take all the credit for scoring.
“I couldn't have done any of it without my blockers and offensive coordinators setting up everything,” he said. “It's all because my linemen made the gaps, and my blockers made the blocks that I needed so I could get through. After I made the touchdowns, my teammates made me feel like I was part of something really big.
“None of what happened at that game would have been possible without the whole team working together and giving their 100 percent effort. It was a big effort from all the team doing their job and helping everybody get what they needed.”
After making such a big contribution to the team’s first win, Bureck said his parents, Brent and Chrissy, are very proud of their son’s accomplishment.
“But I know my mom was probably nervous seeing me get hit so many times,” he admitted.
Buerck said his plans after graduation include becoming an electrician and possibly going into the military.
