At French Camp, it is more than just about football, and for the Panthers senior FB/LB Aaron Witt, it all started when he was in junior high.
“Really, I’m excited that coach (Nathan) Wright selected me,” he said. “I was hard headed when I was a younger player and feel like I have come a long way since then and it’s quite an honor to be selected.” The 5-8, 200-pound Witt plays with an aggression best suited for the linebacker/fullback position and is confident in his abilities. “I feel like it’s my turn to step up and take the responsibility to be the leader of the team and I am ready for that,” he added.
Witt has been in the French Camp football program since he was in the seventh grade. He was described as a kid that was somewhat stubborn when he was younger, but improved with maturity.
“I’ll be honest with you; we’ve hit heads once or twice, but he’s a kid that’s improving his work ethic all the time and will be one of three seniors this year,” said Wright. “Last was the first year he was able to finish a whole season due to injuries in his 9th and 10th grade years. We are hoping for a good season, and he’s had a good summer and worked hard and we are hoping that he does the little things that need to be done. He’s got a good work ethic and has always been dependable, whether he was injured or playing, and hopefully he can make it through the whole season healthy.”
Witt is excited for the season due to the fact that he has to be one of the players to step up and be a leader after the Panthers graduated nearly 10 seniors from the 2015 squad.
“Every practice and every workout drive me more to be a leader and I look forward to that and hopefully will help my team win some games,” added Witt.
Witt is not much of talker, and when asked what he liked most about the game of football he just simply said, “I like hitting people…I just love it. You get mad; you can just leave it all out there on the field.” Witt’s goals for 2016 are to help lead his team back to the playoffs and to make the All-Star game.
“I really want to go back to state (1A State Championship game), but I can control whether or not I’m good enough to make the All-Star game,” said Witt. “Every chance that I’ve had to be in the weight room or working out, I’ve taken it.”
When he is not playing football, Witt describes himself as someone who likes to just “hang out with the family.” Witt is also grateful that he attended French Camp. “When I first came here, you could probably describe me as a bully,” he said. “Being at French Camp through the years has changed my life completely and I am grateful for it. Some kids here may say otherwise, but I can say that being here changed me.”
Persistence has been a strong point of Witt’s character. He has suffered through several injuries that have been season ending but has worked harder each time to come back better than before.
“When I put my mind to it, I’ll work for it and get it done,” concluded Witt. “If I want it, I’ll work to get it, and football has taught me that better than anything.
Editor’s Note: This is the sixth in a 7-part series highlighting the top football players in the area who encompass leadership, athleticism and game-changing abilities for their teams in 2016. The players are taken from rosters of high school teams in The Star-Herald coverage area and are nominated by their coaches. Sports editor Stan Beall makes the selections. The players will be revealed one at a time over a 7-week period and are in no particular order. Previously selected were McAdams’ Mark Stewart, Kosciusko’s B.J. Johnson, Ethel’s Hayes Wood, Kosciusko’s Kevin Moore and Durant’s Quamon Newsom.
