Hodges flying high and ready to soar even higher!

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -The South Walton football season may have come to a close, but senior quarterback, Kemper Hodges’ accomplishments on the field will be hard to forget. Kemper finished out his final season with the Seahawks racking up 4,246 yards, and 60, yes, 60 touchdowns, but it’s not just the receptions on the field that help Kemper stand out. The senior also plays basketball and lacrosse, and in the classroom, he maintains GPA of 3.5.

“My biggest thing is school comes first.” Hodges told me. “I want to play college football, but most of all, I want to get that college degree, especially for free. It helps out a lot, so that’s my main purpose of playing football, so being a good student is a very important thing to me, and I take a lot of pride in it.” For Kemper, the balance of being a three sport athlete, has helped him hone his skills on the academic level. “It definitely transfers over to the classroom and from the classroom onto the field. You learn discipline of showing up to class on time. Going home and watching film is the same thing as going home and doing your homework.”

South Walton head football coach, Phil Tisa, knows the field is not the only place Kemper puts in work.

“Honestly, he has raised the bar even higher. If kids want to see what it takes to be a great high school football player, and I have no doubt that, you know, even though things have been slow, a college football player. He’s the kind of kid you need to look at. He works hard in the classroom. He works hard in the weight room, leads on the field. He does the things the right way, and so he is the example that you want.”

And now Hodges is ready for the next big chapter in his life. He is ready to receive an appointment/scholarship to attend and play football at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. So the dream of playing major college football will be realized.

Newschannel 7′s Student Athlete of the Week is sponsored by Walborsky, Bradley and Fleming.

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