Senior Brandon Battle (’15) is well known around school and the county for his amazing arm. Everyone sees him Friday night at the football games throwing for hundreds of yards, while adding in exciting scrambles. What most people don’t see is the man behind the uniform. There are many more qualities and characteristics that make Brandon Battle a great quarterback and person.

The first is his intelligence. Any who is able to talk with him for a few minutes can tell he is a bright young man. If you don’t believe that, look at his credentials. He has above a 3.5 GPA, is a member of the National Honor Society, and is no stranger in the AP classroom. Most people think all it takes to play quarterback is a great arm. This is not the case. In order to play, you need knowledge of the playbook including the other offensive players’ assignments and alignments, the ability to make pre-snap adjustments, and the ability to read defenses. Brandon understands this and studies the game of football like it is another subject added on to his school day. He watches film for hours on end as well as constantly converses with the offensive coordinator about the schemes for the week. This extra effort increases his football IQ, making it look as though all you need at quarterback is a powerful arm.

The next quality is his poise. Brandon has been through some tough situations at the quarterback spot. He has been through embarrassing defeats, close nail biters, and devastating hits. Through all the adversity Brandon always is able to bounce back. This quality carries over into his school day too. Brandon never allows himself to get down when adversity strikes him in class. He struggles through long hours of homework, projects, and sometimes bad test grades in order to maintain a high GPA. His mindset is one of the key factors that allows him to accomplish many of his successes as a student athlete.

The final quality that completes Brandon is his leadership. Brandon is great at rallying the team together and getting them to focus. Before every practice or game he provides his team with words of encouragement and insight on the direction in which the event should go. He keeps the guys on task and most of all supports his teammates. When asked what he wants people to know about him he stated “I want to contribute and help the team in any way possible.” Battle . His leadership has been recognized by his peers so much that he was voted to be a captain of the football team by the players and coaches.

The coaches at William and Mary have noticed Brandon’s unique set of qualities and have decided to bring him in next season on a scholarship. Despite this, Brandon remains humble and continues to grow as a person. He has set high goals for himself this year. His ultimate goal in high school football is to win the 4A state championship. He also aspires to continue to do well in school and on through college. Based off the foundation he has laid through half the season, he has a good chance of doing so.