A little more than a year after having open-heart surgery, Mount Michael Benedictine’s Jack Burke is making the most of his senior football season.
Burke was born with Scimitar Syndrome, a congenital heart defect that affects blood flow to his right lung. The condition did not prevent the three-sport athlete from competing, but he, his family and his doctors opted for him to have surgery to repair the defect during the summer of 2025.
Recovery kept Burke out of the first few games of his junior season with the Knights. He returned against Schuyler in mid-September and caught a touchdown pass in his first game of the season.
“(Getting back on the field) was really important for me,” Burke told NebPreps. “I love playing football. It shows how hardworking I am, how much I love football.
Burke had one carry and caught six passes, including two for touchdowns, for the Knights as a junior, and he has been a focal point of the offense as a senior.
“I’m just glad I can do stuff for my team to win, make plays for my guys and just have fun playing,” he said.
On offense, Burke leads the Knights (3-5) in both rushing and receiving. He’s carried the ball 57 times for 429 yards. As a receiver, he has a team-best 22 catches for 297 yards.
He has scored eight touchdowns for Mount Michael Benedictine, five rushing and three receiving.
Burke had 11 carries for 91 yards and a touchdown in Friday’s 24-21 loss at Roncalli Catholic. He had 61 rushing yards in the second half, including an eight-yard touchdown early in the third quarter that gave the Knights a 14-10 lead.
“Our line held their own really well,” Burke said. “They blocked really well in the second half, and on that touchdown, I just saw a crease in the outside, hit it, trucked a guy and touchdown.”
From his defensive back position, Burke leads the team with four interceptions and is third with 55 tackles.
Against the Crimson Pride, he recorded 18 tackles (nine solo, nine assisted), and he also recovered a fumble that stopped a Roncalli Catholic drive inside the Knights’ 20-yard line.
One of the things Burke focused on during his recovery from surgery was his desire to rejoin his teammates on the field. They served as a strong motivation for him as he was healing and regaining his strength.
“I’ve been playing with some of these guys since eighth grade,” he said. “I love them. I just love playing with them. It’s amazing.”
Burke and his Mount Michael Benedictine teammates host Omaha Concordia Friday night to close out the regular season.
“It’s been really fun,” he said of his senior season. “I’m just grateful to play football. It’s kind of crazy that I’m still playing. I love playing football with all my friends, all my guys.”
