“Football has helped me become more disciplined and organized” says Keelan White

Photo courtesy of Keelan White (29)

In his sophomore season of four games, receiver/running back Keelan White had 11 touchdowns for 800 yards rushing and 600 yards receiving. He won the the award for Best Back as well as Athlete of the Year for his School, Handsworth Secondary.

It’s a good thing that White’s Dad put him in football when he was six years old. However, it wasn’t all high-fives and smiles from the start. He recalled that he used to hate it because the coach would always put him in at quarterback. “I didn’t like it because I wanted to run and catch the ball and not hand it off and give it away all the time,” he explained. However, by the time he was allowed to tackle, his hate turned to love as his team got a better quarterback and White was given the opportunity to run with the ball.

His parents continued to influence White and be the support in his football and everyday life. “They always push me to do my best and always know what’s best for me and for that I am grateful,” he said.

As a receiver, White likes his position because he said it gives him the “best chance”. Being extremely athletic, he is fast and has good hands which he says gives him an advantage over his opponents. He also states that being one of the better athletes on his team, his opponents focus on him which allows his teammates to get open because the other team is trying to cover him.

Modeling his game off of Odell Beckham Jr., Keelan has practiced his one handed catch and thinks he’s pretty good at it. But he also values the training the Beckham does and tries to train in a similar way. This training is a path to this next season which he is looking forward to.

With Handsworth under a new head coach this 2017 season, White and the whole team will have an adjustment period as it goes with any new coaching staff, however, that hasn’t stopped him from having high expectations for the upcoming season.

“Our team is looking pretty strong this year so I hope that we can have a good winning record and make it somewhat deep into the playoffs.”

During this off-season, Keelan has been on the camps and combines circuit. “I have done some of the NCAA summer ID camps like UW and UO and I believe I was one of the better 2019’s there,” he stated. While he isn’t sure of his future school plans, he is keeping all of his options open, but like many young athletes, has dreams of making it to the NFL. He is prepared to do whatever it takes to get there.

The recruiting process is still in it’s infantile stage as he still has two years to his senior season, however, he has had a few conversations “here and there”. Playing in the Canada Cup this summer has increased interest in him and it will no doubt only continue to climb for this young receiver.

With the high school fastly approaching, it can be easy to get lost in the hype and excitement of the start of ball again. For Keelan, he looks back on one of his most memorable football experiences to motivate him in the present.

“My most memorable experience in football was the 2015 subway bowl when I was in grade 9 at Windsor secondary.  We went into halftime tied up at 21, and the coach gave this electrifying speech about the greatest Mexican war general Hernando Cortez.  He told us that his army was once out numbered 50:1 and he needed to win the battle so he burned his ships so there was no turning back and he told his men that the only choice was to win or die,” recalled White. “Our coach said ‘the choice is yours. Burn your ships’. And we went out and won that game and the provincial championship and we got “Burn The Ships” written on the inside of our rings.”

With this memory in your mind it’s no wonder football means a lot to White. He finished by telling us:

“Without football I don’t know where I’d be – probably struggling to study in a class somewhere with no friends around. It has really helped my social and school life. It has helped me become more disciplined and organized. Football has done so much for me.”

Keelan White (#29)
Wide receiver, Running back
6’1, 180lbs

Teams: Windsor Secondary (grade 8, 9), Handsworth Secondary
Official visits: n/a
Unofficial visits: n/a
Considerations: open
Commitment: none
Class: 2019

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