In his last season in high school sports, Brandt Burzuk averaged 8.4 yards per carry as the lead running back for the Hunting Hills Lightning football team.
“Everyone knew I was getting the ball,” the Grade 12 student chuckled.
It may have been down slightly from his Grade 11 year where he averaged more than 10 yards a carry, but Burzuk flashed on the field. He credits his vision and agility, as well as his linemen, to post those statistics.
Thursday evening, he was named Hunting Hills male athlete of the year during the school’s athletics banquet.
“I’m honoured, I’m glad I could represent my school and all my teams,” said Burzuk, who was also named Most Valuable Player of the football team.
Outside of football, Burzuk competed on the basketball, handball, tennis and rugby teams.
Burzuk will join the Edmonton Huskies in the Canadian Junior Football League next season.
He was joined by fellow Grade 12 Kristen Loney, who was named the school’s female athlete of the year.
Loney took home three MVPs during the evening for the girls soccer, handball and basketball teams. She also won a coaches award for her work on the volleyball team.
“Walking up on stage was a good moment,” said Loney. “It was a good way to end.
“The basketball season this year stands out because we got to go to provincials and we went to volleyball provincials last year, which was awesome.”
She was also a member of the cross country and track and field teams, but basketball is the sport she enjoys the most.
“Both my brothers played it and our whole family loves the sport,” said Loney.
Next season she will hit the hardwood for the Red Deer College Queens basketball team.
Rohit Razzaq and Luke Purnell won the Ross Towers Award, Ben Sitter won the Stacy Larsen Memorial Award, Sydney Larsen was the Grade 9 Female Athlete of the Year, Brody Kopec was the Grade 9 Male Athlete of the Year, Steel McDonald won the Andre Sather Memorial Award, Leslie Doan was named Lightning Athletics Advocate of the Year and the curling team won the Lightning Pride Team of the Year.
Hunting Hills Lightning 2016 athletic award winners:
Golf — Most Valuable Player (MVP): Jordan Williamson. Coaches Award (CA): Bryce Kopec.
Grade 9 Cross Country — CA: Gabby Brandt and Elaine Barnard.
Senior Cross Country — MVP: Jill Stewart and Carson West. CA: Brigitte Lischewski and Malcolm Law.
Bantam Football — MVP: Dolan Hills. CA: Colman McKee.
Senior Football — MVP: Brandt Burzuk. CA: Kaden Hall.
Grade 9 Girls Volleyball — MVP: Morgan Hunter. CA: Alex Fortney.
Grade 9 Boys Volleyball — MVP: Brody Kopec. CA: Keaton Whitbread.
Junior Varsity Girls Volleyball — MVP: Abbi Galloway. CA: Emily Stewart.
Junior Varsity Boys Volleyball — MVP: Ryan Krawiec. CA: Campbell Ames.
Senior Girls Volleyball — MVP: Sydney Rix. CA: Kristen Loney.
Senior Boys Volleyball — MVP: Parker Booth. CA: Steel McDonald.
Grade 9 Girls Basketball — MVP: Keanna Richards. CA: Terese McNabb.
Grade 9 Boys Basketball — MVP: Liam Graham. CA: Luka Trpevski.
Junior Varsity Girls Basketball — MVP: Abbi Galloway. CA: Victoria Litster.
Junior Varsity Boys Basketball — MVP: Austin Schneider. CA: Evan Oliveira.
Senior Girls Basketball — MVP: Madi Nimmo and Kristen Loney.
Senior Boys Basketball — MVP: Rohit Razzaq. CA: Luke Purnell.
Curling — MVP: Austin Kelts-Larsen. CA: Erika Watts.
Wrestling — CA: Kirsten Kehler and Jace Le Blanc.
Girls Handball — MVP: Kristen Loney. CA: Darbie Hauser.
Boys Handball — MVP: Parker Booth. CA: Gabe Duckering.
Grade 9 Boys Badminton — MVP Brody Kopec. CA: Matthew Marshall.
Grade 9 Girls Badminton — MVP: Erica Greenshields. CA: Sydney Larson.
Senior Boys Badminton — MVP: Bryce Kopec. CA: Jordan Williamson and John Langford.
Senior Girls Badminton — MVP: Myah Cota.
Grade 9 Girls Track and Field — MVP: Sydney Larsen. CA: Keena Richards.
Grade 9 Boys Track and Field — MVP: Hatim Mohamed. CA: Praveen Gladstone.
Senior Girls Track and Field — MVP: Jill Stewart. CA: Stefanie Spicer.
Senior Boys Track and Field — MVP: Carson West. CA: Ethan McDonald.
Girls Tennis — MVP: Daniela Quintana. CA: Danna Quintana.
Boys Tennis — MVP: Bryce Kopec. CA: Masato Takae.
Girls Rugby — MVP: Paige Olmstead. CA: Zoeann Pilgrim.
Boys Rugby — MVP: Zech Pilgrim. CA: Connor Hurlburt.
Girls Soccer — MVP: Kristen Loney. CA: Darbie Hauser.
Boys Soccer — MVP: Zech Pilgrim. CA: Evan Oliveria.