Why Butler football’s Beau Burchett doesn’t care about being the star: ‘Winning is the only thing people care about’
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Butler's Tyson Pino works on footwork during football practice Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, at Butler High School. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle
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Butler head coach Eric Christy instructs players of a drill during football practice Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, at Butler High School. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Nicco Baggetta runs through an agility drill during football practice Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, at Butler High School. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Chase Boden runs through a tackling drill during football practice Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, at Butler High School. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Mark Klemz participates in agility drills during football practice Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, at Butler High School. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Kevin Shriver runs with the ball during football practice Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, at Butler High School. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Beau Burchett (47) talks to teammates during football practice Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, at Butler High School. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Stone Spack tackles a teammate during football practice Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, at Butler High School. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Nicco Baggetta hands the ball off to Mark Klemz during football practice Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, at Butler High School. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle
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Butler assistant coach Chip McGuire talks offensive schemes during a team meeting ahead of football practice Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, at Butler High School. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle
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Butler head coach Eric Christy talks to his football team at the end of practice Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, at Butler High School. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle
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The Butler Golden Tornado held their first mandatory practice Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, at Butler High School. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle
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The Butler Golden Tornado officially started the 2025 season with their first mandatory practice held on Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, at Butler High School. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle
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Butler’s Stone Spack answers a question from Butler Eagle sports editor Jake Merda Adams during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day podcast on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler Eagle sports editor Jake Merda Adams, right, talks with the Butler football team during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day podcast on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler Eagle sports editor Jake Merda Adams, right, talks with the Butler football team during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day podcast on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler’s Beau Burchett answers a question from Butler Eagle sports editor Jake Merda Adams during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day podcast on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler’s Beau Burchett, left, and Stone Spack answer a question from Butler Eagle sports editor Jake Merda Adams during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day podcast on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler’s Beau Burchett, left, and Stone Spack answer a question from Butler Eagle sports editor Jake Merda Adams during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day podcast on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler’s Stone Spack laughs during an interview with Butler Eagle sports editor Jake Merda Adams during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day podcast on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler’s Stone Spack answers a question from Butler Eagle sports editor Jake Merda Adams during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day podcast on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler’s Stone Spack answers a question from Butler Eagle sports editor Jake Merda Adams during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day podcast on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler Eagle sports editor Jake Merda Adams, right, talks with the Butler’s Tyson Pino during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day podcast on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler Eagle sports editor Jake Merda Adams, right , talks with the Butler’s Tyson Pino during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day podcast on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler’s Tyson Pino during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler’s Tyson Pino during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler’s Stone Spack during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler’s Stone Spack during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler’s Beau Burchett during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Butler’s Beau Burchett during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
BUTLER TWP — Beau Burchett has a pretty simple perspective on the game he plays.
The Butler guard and defensive lineman has had teammates who refuse to play in the trenches. As someone who’s always been bigger and faster than his peers — but still lining up with his hand in the dirt — you’ll never hear such terms out of him.
“It’s football,” Burchett said. “No matter where you’re at, it’s football. I’m gonna go out there and I’m going to do my best and I’m going to affect the team the most.”
Last season, after fellow junior Stone Spack suffered a torn ACL in the Golden Tornado’s penultimate contest, Burchett asked to be switched to a thankless position.
Senior center Nick Goetz was hurt, too, so Christy and the rest of his Golden Tornado coaching staff were faced with inserting inexperienced backups. They weighed their options as to what arrangement would give them the best chance to compete with eventual PIAA Class 2A runner-up Central Clarion the following week.
Burchett didn’t allow them to waste their time brainstorming.
“He was just sitting next to us and walked over and said, ‘I know the answer. I’ll tell you what the answer is,’” Christy said. “We were like, ‘Yeah, you’re right. That’s it.’”
“Right after the game ... I just went up to them in private, and I said, ‘I’m OK to switch to guard next week. I know our playbook, I study our playbook and I know that I can play anywhere on the line,’” Burchett said. “Yeah, they were ecstatic to hear that.”
The reason the solution didn’t quite cross Christy’s mind initially was Burchett had been playing well at tight end. Burchett, however, only plays on offense because he’s needed. He’s partial to the defensive side of the ball, mainly because “I was going out there to hit somebody. I wasn’t worried about ... getting the ball.”
Before the clash with Central Clarion, Burchett ditched his No. 40 jersey in favor of No. 52. His numeral, he said, doesn’t matter. They’re all the same in his eyes. With a selflessness developed in youth football, Burchett embodies Christy’s “Team Before Me” mantra.
“That’s just how it was, and I never cared because I cared more about winning more than my position,” Burchett said. “Winning is the only thing people care about. You could have the best game of your life, but if you lose, you’re not going to hear anything about it in the morning. You’re going to hear (about) how you lost.”
The mature outlook he described is rare, Christy said.
“In today’s world, you don’t get that,” Christy said. “He gladly took that and said, ‘This is what we need to do for the team.’ ... He just sold it for me. Like, ‘This kid is legit.’”
On the defensive side of the ball, Burchett led the team with nine tackles for loss last season. Division III Westminster extended an offer to Burchett in July. He spoke to coaches from Division II Edinboro and California (Pa.) when they visited Butler in the spring.
Burchett will play a few of the most physically demanding positions on the field this fall. He’s thrilled to have the team on the shoulders of an offensive line lacking depth — Kyle Newton-Boston steps in at left guard and Alex Fulmer at right tackle with a sparse amount of backups — because he knows he and fellow team captains Spack and Lucas Martin can handle it.
Spack moves to center while Martin will play left tackle.
“Personally, I wouldn’t have it be any other way,” Burchett said. “We can work on it, but I like leaving it up to us because it’s our responsibility. I don’t want to leave it to another position group that maybe isn’t as ready to lead. ... If it was anywhere else up in the air, who knows what happens?
“With us, I’m confident.”
