Players of the Pine Belt: Petal senior WR Cayden Burger

PETAL, Miss. (WDAM) - Senior Cayden Burger has taken snaps at every playmaking position there is.

“You can’t put a price tag on all the minutes that he’s put in,” said Petal head coach Allen Glenn. “He just kinda has the knack of knowing what it takes to be a good football player.”

As a sophomore, Burger lined up at quarterback.

His skillset convinced Glenn to shift him to the wide receiver position.

“He just always kept pushing me to be the best version of myself I could be,” Burger said. “And then especially last year with a big change it was something I trusted him to do. And I told him whatever I need to do to make the team better.”

“Definitely it was the right decision but for him it’s just his work ethic,” Glenn said. “He is a hard, hard worker. Every rep in practice is a game speed rep. And I think that goes a long way.”

Burger treats the game he loves like an everyday job.

Toward the end of last season, he had to clock in some overtime hours.

“Last year I feel like I had a really good year and I knew that this year I wanted to have a better year,” Burger said. “I had to go a little harder this summer. I had to go kill it in the weight room, I had to gain a little bit more weight. It’s going to be a big-time boost, especially with me playing multiple positions. I had to know what my body can take - especially playing 7A ball you have to be able to take some hits.”

Burger not only brings a physical presence to the football field but a veteran voice for some of his younger teammates.

“Our quarterback, he’s a sophomore,” Burger said. “He was down on himself and I said hey man I’ve been in the same position. Every time I talk to any of the younger guys, because I’ve been in that position before, I just make sure that hey, you go out here and give 100 percent, that’s all you can ask for. Go out here and lay it down, lay it all on the line.”

The Panthers are on the hunt for some more wins this season.

Burger hopes his talents can help lead Petal to the top of the pack. “I let my abilities speak for themselves but the things I want people to know this year is that guy works hard,” Burger said.

Want more WDAM 7 news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Copyright 2023 WDAM. All rights reserved.