Jessie Britt
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Auburndale running back Jessie Britt set Polk County on fire in his junior season. He scored 96 points in 2014, the third most in the area, and he earned 14 touchdowns, 673 offensive yards, and 25 tackles. His dedication to the game is obvious to opponents and spectators, but the senior Western Kentucky commit says that his motivation to be great is much more personal.
“Most people don’t know why I do what I do, but it’s because of my Mom,” Britt said. “She raised six kids all by herself and I grew up with all girls. I didn’t really have anyone to bond with. I felt like I was at a disadvantage because most kids start playing flag at age four and I didn’t really learn the game until high school.”
When Britt finally did play at the prep level, he made an immediate impact. In a 2012 game against Frostproof, Jessie Britt became a first-year varsity starter.
“It got serious when I was in 9th grade. I played JV for the first few games and I got moved up to varsity. Our starting tailback got hurt and I took his place. I looked at the stats after the game and I saw I did pretty well. It made me think, if I’m doing this at 14, wait until I’m older and more developed.”
Jessie Britt verbally committed to Western Kentucky in early August.
“Communication was the biggest factor in my decision. Their coaches call me on a regular basis and have a good relationship with my mother and family. I felt like it was the right place for me to be.”
Britt says before his mother pushed him to become a college athlete, she was strongly against him playing football. But now, things have changed.
“My mother didn’t want her only boy getting hurt. My cousin, who coaches me now, convinced her to let me play and since then she’s been pushing me to succeed.”
Britt’s Bloodhounds lost their first game of the 2015 season to Stuart Martin County 34-7. He says that the team hadn’t built the relationships necessary for collective success, but they are working to get on the same page.
“We weren’t well bonded yet. We have a lot of starters coming from other schools so we didn’t have chemistry. We bonded this past weekend. We hung out and each day of the week we had a player stand up and say something that a lot of people don’t know about them. We’re beginning to become a brotherhood.”
Writer - James Bennett, Jr.
Photographer - Dallas Gadberry Photos
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