Vernon lineman leads up front and in the classroom

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -As the new school year begins, and high school sports get started up, we take a closer look at some of our athletes going the extra mile in a variety of ways. This week, in our first Walborsky, Bradley and Fleming Student Athlete of the Week segment, we hone in on one Vernon lineman who is not only tackling his duties with the team, but also making sure he’s excelling in school.

At six feet, three inches, and 250 pounds, Brycen Thornton gets it done on the field, but that’s not all. The lineman reps the Yellowjackets jersey on the hardwood for the basketball team, plays a big role in the Vernon High School Beta Club, and to top it all off, maintains a 3.5 GPA.

“School has always been really important to me.” Brycen says “My parents just pushed me when I was growing up, and it’s just always been an important thing for me.” However, Brycen hasn’t always been this outgoing, so says his football head coach Gerald Tranquille.

“I’ve watched him grow from being a quiet shy kid to finding his voice, finding his physicality, always been a great student in the classroom.” With all his responsibilities, Brycen keeps fairly busy. “It’s just a lot of studying, but it’s a good balance.” Thornton told me “Basically, you’ve just got to be really good at time management. Just learn how to use your time wisely during school hours and after hours.” For Coach Tranquille? Having a student athlete like Brycen on the team is a dream come true. “I can trust him. I don’t have to follow behind him and make sure he’s doing this or doing that, he leads by example. He’s one of those ones where if he tells you something, he’s going to do it himself. He’s not going to ask those guys to do anything that he won’t do.”

The Student Athlete of the Week is brought to you by Walborsky, Bradley and Fleming.

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