Male Athlete of Week: Burkett’s hard work paying off
Name: Kai Burkett
School: Chestnut Ridge
Age: 15
Grade: Freshman
Sport: Wrestling
Athlete of the week achievement: Burkett, the No. 4 seed, won the 106-pound championship, beating the top two seeds, in the Thomas Chevrolet Tournament at Bedford. He helped Ridge claim the team title.
Season update: Burkett is 18-7 with seven falls and three major decisions
Coach Greg Lazor’s quote: “Kai put in a lot of time in the offseason to get to this point. It’s nice to see the hard work pay off. He’s growing into his weight class.”
Favorite teacher: Mr. Meck
Favorite subject: Math
Favorite movie: “King Kong”
Favorite food: Ice cream
Favorite music: Pop
Outside interests: Playing baseball, hunting
Favorite professional team: Pittsburgh Pirates
Favorite college team: Lehigh
Pro athlete most admired: Troy Polamalu
Best athlete I ever competed against: My brother, Aaron
Most influential person on my athletic career: My dad (Aaron) and my uncle (Josh Deputy)
Proudest athletic achievement: Winning the Thomas Tournament
How I got my start in wrestling: “I started when I was 4. My family was all in it.”
Future goal: To be a state champ