GRAVETTE -- Keegan Addison could have chosen to pursue the life of a college student and spend the current semester on the campus of his choice, even though he won't be 18 until next May.
That option will have to wait a little while longer, though. Instead, he elected to spend this fall as a member of Gravette's football team.
"I could have graduated, but football is just something I love to do," Addison said. "I couldn't take a year away from it, knowing that I could keep playing it and keep spending time with my guys and my coaches.
"I made this decision myself. My parents wanted me to decide what I wanted to do and what I felt comfortable doing. It was definitely hard, thinking I could get an early start on college and getting my degree earlier, but football is very special to me. I couldn't think about not having this. I have to strive to be better."
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Addison is a home-school student through the computer-based Monarch program, then he attends the required classes at Gravette High School he needs in order to be eligible to play football, which is something he has done since junior high. He had met the requirements to graduate through Monarch last spring, and he had even told Gravette coach Kelby Bohannon of his plans to skip his senior year and go on to college.
But somewhere along the way came a change of plans. Addison then informed Bohannon that he would stay another season, and that gave the Lions an additional experienced player to rely upon, as well as a player that will do anything he can to help the team be successful.
"We were really hoping to hang on to him as long as we could," Bohannon said. "He had told us about his ambitions and what he wanted to do. We told him we hated to see him go, but we understood and wished him the best. We were going to support him and his next move. I guess it weighed heavily on him, and he did some more soul-searching and came back to us."
"He actually sent me a text that read 'Coach, I've changed my mind. I'm going to come back.' I was tickled to death and told him how excited we were to have him back. I immediately got on the phone and texted the rest of the staff. We were all thrilled because he's a guy you want in your program."
Eventually, Addison has plans of making the trip to Lynchburg, Va., to attend Liberty University, where he hopes to go for 2 years and major in Biblical and theological studies. But that hasn't stopped him from getting an early start on his college education.
He's currently taking online courses through Liberty, and these classes also serve as his home-school classes this fall.
"I'm technically still in dual enrollment," Addison said. "I'm taking those classes right now and working through that. I'm still a high school student but taking college courses for my senior year. I'm also doing football and eighth-period athletics at Gravette, which accounts for my classes here."
This isn't the first time that Addison has made a big sacrifice of himself in order to benefit Gravette's football team. He had been a running back throughout his entire time in junior high and even during his sophomore year, where he picked up some carries while playing varsity games that season.
However, when the Lions experienced a shortage of linemen last fall, he agreed to switch positions with no questions asked. He moved into the left tackle slot, as well as moved to the defensive line.
"Keegan is the model teammate," Bohannon said. "He's the kid that, no matter what you ask him to do, he's going to go do it. I've had him go grab laundry and switch it out for us. So he, more than willingly, said 'Coach, I'll move to the offensive line' because we lacked depth and were really thin at the position.
"He was a physical back as a sophomore, and he's incredibly intelligent. He jumped in and immediately found himself a starting position on the offensive line and has grown as a football player. He first made the move from linebacker to the defensive line, and he's quick. He has the athleticism to give opposing offensive linemen problems with his quickness and strength."
His willingness to do whatever he needs to do for the team even revealed itself through Gravette's preseason workouts. When Bohannon asked him if he deep-snapped before, the response was "No, but I'll try."
"That's Keegan," Bohannon said. "Whatever you need, he is willing to do. They don't make a whole lot of players like him that are that selfless, but that's him -- every day.
"He's willing to put his hands in the dirt and be physical and do whatever is necessary for this football team."
At A Glance
KEEGAN ADDISON
SCHOOL Gravette
CLASS Senior
POSITION Offensive line/Defensive line
HEIGHT 6-0
WEIGHT 190
NOTABLE A home-school student through the Monarch program who had met the requirements to graduate last spring, but chose to play his final season at Gravette instead of starting college early. … Picked up four tackles against Vian, Okla., and had just one assisted tackle against Inola, Okla. … Played running back through his sophomore year, but he volunteered to make a move when the Lions faced a shortage of players in the offensive and defensive line. … Currently takes online classes through Liberty University, which also serves as his home-school lessons, and plans on going to the Lynchburg, Va., campus following graduation.
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