By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Soccer is all about goals, of course. Scoring them, reaching them. Bedford North Lawrence’s Clayton Burgess can do both.
Burgess, BNL’s top scorer last season, signed with Culver-Stockton College on Friday, hitting his long-time target of continuing his career at the next level. He will join an NAIA program in transition, as the Wildcats recently changed coaches, with the opportunity to help build something from the ground up.
After scoring eight times last season, powering the Stars to a 7-7-2 record, Burgess is eager to move forward. That’s what forwards do, after all. They attack, and that’s the mindset he will take.
“Playing soccer really shaped me as a person,” Burgess said. “If one person messes up, it affects other people. It taught me how to be a person with responsibility. I expect for (new coach Nic Powers) to really shape me better as a player. He wanted to come to Culver and make the team the best.”
Burgess, who plans to major in business with a goal of marketing, will work on his passing game and stamina in preparation for the next phase. The lessons he learned with the Stars will provide his foundation.
“We were very supportive of each other,” he said. “Everyone was able to play to their full potential. It was a great season.”
His best was a hat trick against county rival Mitchell. Now his best will be expected as he joins a program that competes in the Heart of American Conference (one of the top NAIA leagues in the nation). Culver, a school known as the first co-ed institution west of the Mississippi River when it was founded, is coming off a 4-13 record.
“Clayton is a hard worker and has always been motivated in getting better,” former BNL coach Logan Jackson, who stepped down after last season, said. “Playing at the next level has been a goal for a while and that’s why I think he will have success. He will definitely be ready for the demand and hard work it will require.”
