Keidran Willis Jr (KJ) has been chosen as the Broward County Athletic Association (BCAA) player of the week, the first to ever do so in Charter history.
With a 5.2 GPA, Keidran Willis Jr (KJ) has been taking Aice and AP classes since his freshman year in high school. Excelled in the classroom due to his hard work and determination to succeed, and yet still finds a way to lace up his cleats on Thursday nights and average 105 rushing yards a game.
The BCAA Player of the Week is an honor given to a Broward County student who outperforms others in the classroom and their respective sport. KJ is the epitome of a student-athlete; he’s been playing football all his life, but entering his freshman year of high school, he would take on a daunting task: balancing his academic and athletic careers.
Fast forward to his senior year, he has found a way to successfully upkeep his responsibilities as a student in the classroom and as a player on the football field.
Crediting his equilibrium of the two tasks to the people that he surrounds himself with, “This school is a very academically competitive school, and constantly being around people that are academically talented pushes me to be just as smart or even smarter than them. It’s just fun being in a competitive environment where everyone wants to challenge themselves and pursue their goals.”
Don’t let the academics fool you though. KJ is a DOG, and his competitive spirit is effortlessly translated onto the football field. KJ plays on both sides of the ball at the running back and defensive back positions.
His position at running back has helped the Jags offense flow and is a key reason to their 3-1 record. In the first four games of the season, he’s managed to drive down the field, accumulating over 500 rushing yards and over 100 receiving yards, totaling well over 600 all-purpose yards. Averaging eight tackles per game on the defensive end of the ball is just as important. KJ mentioned that his crucial role on the team, combined with academic stress, is very taxing on both his mind and body.
“It gets hard because some days you have to stay up until 1-2 in the morning doing work, and then later that day, you’re out sweating on the field for hours after a full day of school.” He then noted that though hard, this has all taught him time management skills and how to prioritize certain things over others.
Though proud of this recognition, he says that he has a lot more that he wants to accomplish and won’t be satisfied until he has a successful career, whether that be on or off the field.
However, he sees this award as a stepping stone, propelling him in the direction of ascendancy so that he can fulfill his childhood dreams of making it big.
