I'm not sure if this story on senior DB Greg Burgess made it onto the internet, so I thought I'd post it here:

By Ramona Shelburne
Staff Writer

You know something's up when Greg Burgess is quiet. He's just that kind of kid. Always talking, joking, laughing or mixing it up with teammates, opposing wide receivers or anyone within earshot. But this week, Birmingham's top cover corner has been quiet. Real quiet.

The Patriots are hosting his former school, Crenshaw, in the semifinals tonight. And if that wasn't enough, Burgess' cousin is Crenshaw's top wide receiver, Kemonte Bateman so he should be matched up with him most of the night.

``I've been real mellow and laid back this week,'' Burgess said. ``All those guys at Crenshaw are still my boys. I hand out with them every weekend. But I've got to stay mellow. I can't do anything stupid. I can't get too hyped.''

The change in his demeanor has been a bit shocking to his teammates.

``He's been real quiet this week,'' senior tight end Mychal Rivera said. ``He's focused. He's staying humble.''

Burgess transferred from Crenshaw to Birmingham after last year. He'd been an All-City defensive back, but off the field, he'd started running with the wrong group of friends and his parents felt he needed a fresh start, at new school.

Burgess didn't want to leave at first, but has come to realize the change was for the best.

``I needed a fresh start and I got that here,'' Burgess said. ``Everything here is different. But it's been my best year, in school and in football.''

This week, Burgess learned he'd scored over 1,500 on the SAT test, more than enough to qualify for college. He said he's been contacted by several schools --Idaho, San Diego State, San Jose State, Fresno State and Arizona -- but the schools told him they were waiting on his test scores before they offered him a scholarship.

Birmingham defensive coordinator Jim Rose said Burgess has ``the quickest hips of any defensive back I've ever coached'' and should definitely be a Division I player, despite his 5-foot-9 frame.

``He's a true cover corner and guys like that are hard to find,'' Rose said.

Friday night, he'll draw the most difficult match-up of his career. Bateman and his teammate Clint Floyd have verbally committed to Arizona State.

``Kemonte and I have been playing against each other since we were five years old,'' Burgess said. ``We've known each other since we were three weeks old. ... And I know he's going to line up against me.''