SVC Burgess still out of lineup

The highly-regarded senior safety will miss his fourth straight game with an injury.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
WARREN -- How good is the Warren Harding High football team?
The Raiders are unbeaten, ranked No. 1 in Division I and poised to win their second straight Steel Valley Conference title while playing without arguably their best player.
Senior strong safety Prescott Burgess will miss his fourth straight game tonight, coach Thom McDaniels said, when Warren Harding (9-0, 3-0) plays host to Austintown Fitch (6-3, 2-1) at Mollenkopf Stadium.
"I have no idea whether he'll play again for us, which is unfortunate for him," McDaniels said Thursday.
What happened
The 6-foot-3, 226-pound Burgess, one of Ohio's top college prospects who also plays tight end, injured his shoulder trying to tackle Ursuline running back Delbert Ferguson in an SVC game Sept. 27 at Stambaugh Stadium.
"It basically ended up being an arm tackle, and his shoulder and arm took the force of the blow," McDaniels described. "Delbert packs a punch."
McDaniels said the injury has been labeled as "a stinger" in Burgess' shoulder. "It's changed us, believe me," said McDaniels of Burgess' absence. "Anybody who loses a guy who can make an impact like he can feels the loss."
Credit the Raiders' depth for allowing them to make up for that loss.
"I feel real good about the people who have replaced him and our coaches who have coached the defense without him," McDaniels said.
Player movement
Senior Rob Massucci has moved from free safety to Burgess' strong safety spot, and senior Danny Stella has taken over for Massucci on Harding's balanced defense.
Leading the Raiders in tackling are Stefon Alexander (23 first hits, 24 assists); Anthony Hoke (22, 21); James Johnson (21, 21); Massucci (21, 19); and Dimitrios Makridis (24, 14).
"This program is not about one player," McDaniels said. "We play a lot of guys on offense and defense, so in the event we have an injury we're better able to replace him."
Warren Harding is second this week behind Solon in the Div. I, Region 1 computer ratings. The Raiders will host a playoff game next weekend, but McDaniels is unable to say whether Burgess will be on the field.
"He's struggling with it, and I feel for him," the coach said. "He's shown some progress and improvement, but whether it's enough to return to action, I don't know."
Burgess' shoulder isn't the only factor keeping him off the field.
"There's a liability concern, with him being released, returning to activity and having a recurring injury," McDaniels added. "The medical people are taking a conservative approach because the kid has a college future and maybe a future after college [at a professional level]."
McDaniels wants Burgess' return to be based on whether the player is physically ready.
richesson@vindy.com