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Big Foote steps to follow: Boudreau and Burckhardt look to keep Knights in contention in the CAL

Wednesday, September, 05 By Bob Albright
Staff writer

NORTH ANDOVER | Despite their considerable optimism for the upcoming season, neither Matt Burckhardt nor Steve Boudreau is going to duck, side step, juke or simply avoid the question of what a daunting void has been created with Andrew Foote's graduation.

All those verbs, of course, have been used to describe the dynamic back, who swiveled and darted his way to the top of the all-time area list in both rushing (4,549) and scoring (470 points) before finally taking off his North Andover shoulder pads last Thanksgiving. Most of them will likely be used on numerous occasions over the next four years in Springfield as Foote writes another chapter rushing the ball for the Pride.

"I can remember I would be blocking and after I had finished my block I would just watch him run 40 yards down the field," said Burckhardt, a senior fullback who opened many of the holes leading to those highlight-reel jaunts.

"He was a great guy and a great leader and someone who really helped me, but I don't feel like I'm filling his shoes. I think it's going to be a matter of the whole team filling his shoes."

Boudreau, a quarterback and defensive back, agrees that only a cumulative team approach can be used to make up for an individual as talented as the two-time Eagle-Tribune Offensive MVP.

"Every time he touched the ball, he was amazing," said Boudreau. "He was a great teammate and captain. Everyone is going to have to pull their own weight now. Foote is not going to be there to bail them out anymore."

With just four returning starters, North Andover coach John Rafferty calls this his most inexperienced team of his seven-year tenure. That being said, the coach feels he could not have two better leaders to lead the Knights into a new era.

They are best friends who played on the Knights' 2005 Cape Ann League championship team as special teamers and both were integral parts of last year's 7-3 team. Boudreau played some quarterback and started at wide receiver, while also starring in the defensive backfield.

A year later, Rafferty, has had no qualms in handing the keys to his pro-set offense to the 6-foot-1 signal-caller. "He's a thinking man's quarterback," said Rafferty of Boudreau, an Eagle-Tribune All-Star guard in basketball. "He might not be the fastest or have the best arm, but he has a great head and a great mind. When it comes to understanding what is going on on the field and making adjustments, there are not many who are better."

For every one of Foote's eye-popping runs last year, it seemed there was a corresponding pedestrian 5-yard sledge hammer effort up the middle by Burckhardt | often when the team needed it the most.

"Matt really had a breakthrough year for us both at fullback and at linebacker. He got a lot of the hard yards for us, especially down the stretch," said Rafferty of the no-nonsense back, who rushed for 511 yards and 3 TDs last year, while also starting at weak side linebacker.

"He's the classic 'lead by his actions' type of kid. You may never hear him say much out there, but through the way he plays the game and the way he lays it all out on the field he sets an example.

"Between the two of them, I really couldn't have asked for better leaders."

Both Boudreau and Burckhardt feel the learning curve has been a high one as they prepare to kick things off for real Friday night against archrival Andover.

"We definitely have high expectations for this season, but know we have lot of work to do to make that happen," said Boudreau. "We're obviously going to have a lot of people step up and all play as a team if we are going to play what we feel is our 'A' game."

Facing an Andover club which may be the favorite in the Merrimack Valley Conference, playing their 'A' game will be especially important.

"I can't wait," said Burckhardt. "The nerves have been building up for a while now and it's time to let them go on the field."

And with or without a 4,500-yard rusher beside him, that's one feeling that's not going to change a bit.