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High school game gets attention of political columnist Wednesday, Oct 26, 2005 By Harry King LITTLE ROCK - Summoned by the wordsmith of a neighborhood for a high-falutin discussion of anything from W. to Iraq to school funding to Huckabee for President, his question defined my status. Do you know when Fort Smith Northside plays Springdale, the political columnist asked. "I may go," John Brummett said. That was a few weeks ago, on a morning after he had basked in another come from behind victory in the always exciting world of team tennis for "experienced" players. Celebrating and sipping that previous evening, he heard about the wonder of Northside quarterback Kodi Burns from a tennis player with ties to Little Rock Catholic. In detail, the man described how Burns threw a pass 75 yards in the air while falling out of bounds. Such a heave is amazing, but Burns won a summer competition with a throw of 74 yards. For comparison, Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich supposedly was the best in some NFL contest with a 72-yard toss. Like any Arkansan with even a hint of interest in football, Brummett was familiar with Springdale quarterback Mitch Mustain. To see Burns and Mustain on the same field is worth driving to Fort Smith on Friday night, he figured. Although football is a team game, this is about individuals. Springdale is much better than Northside, but Burns is at least the equal of Mustain in the WOW department. Talking with Wadie Moore Jr., who did high school football for a living for years, we couldn't remember such attention for two players at the same position who are only a year apart. In the early 1970s, Brinkley running back Jerry Eckwood was the rage. Almost 20 years later, it was Bazil Shabazz of Pine Bluff. In the fall of 1998, it was Cedric Cobbs of Little Rock. A senior, Mustain is committed to Arkansas and his arrival on campus is supposed to dovetail with the Razorbacks' exodus from the wilderness, also known as Southeastern Conference mediocrity. Two years from now, Arkansas would love to have Burns on the same team with Mustain. When Springdale coach Gus Malzahn was in Little Rock, he gushed about Mustain, regaling the Touchdown Club with a story about a pass pattern that he expected to be open just before halftime against Bentonville. Mustain checked out the short and safe options and then laid it up perfectly for Damian Williams on a 69-yard score. That night, Mustain was 12-of-19 for 320 yards and five touchdowns. Northside coach Darrell Henry is equally enthusiastic about Burns. Opponents marvel about both players and so do the reporters who cover them. Kurt Voigt of The Morning News said the only way to illustrate the talent of Mustain was to cite the one time in his high school career that he let his emotions get the best of him. Trailing Little Rock Central 14-0 in the semifinals of the AAAAA playoffs last year, he forced a pass into the end zone and it was intercepted. He says watching Mustain is like watching Tom Brady of New England. "He commands the field, makes every throw and does whatever it takes for his team to win, all the with calm demeanor of someone far older than his 17 years," Voigt said. Ryan Aber, who was at the Times-Record in Fort Smith when Burns was a sophomore, saw him recently against Fayetteville. Flushed from the pocket, Burns had plenty of room to run for a first down but on a dead run and nearing the line of scrimmage, he threw to Cruise Waldon in the corner of the end zone. "The most impressive thing to me about Burns is the way he doesn't abandon the pass when he takes off out of the pocket," Aber said. That night, Burns threw for 256 and ran for 127. Brummett should enjoy the show. ----- Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media Group's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com. |
