15 minutes with Kellen Decker, Ada High School senior

What classes are you taking this semester?
English, Ceramics, Sociology, Algebra II, French I, Personal Finance and I’m a student helper in study hall.

What are your plans after high school?
I’m looking at colleges, which include University of Toledo, Bowling Green and Ashland. I’m looking at business management as a major.

Tell me about your business management experience.
My mom owns The Sawmill Restaurant. I’ve worked there in several capacities.

What sports have you played in high school?
Football as a running back, basketball as a guard and track in the 100 and 4 by 1.

Tell me about your best and worst football games.
My worst was probably against Lima Central Catholic when I was a junior. I fumbled three times. My best game was against Bluffton this year. I rushed for 325 yards in 17 carries and scored five touchdowns.

When did you start playing football?
I started in midgets. Wayne Vierra was my coach. That was in fourth grade.

You’ve probably had your share of injuries.
In the seventh or eighth grade when I was living in Florida I boxer fractured my hand. Then the summer before my junior year I had shoulder surgery. I had a tear in my labrum.

Do you text much?
Maybe a couple 100 times a day. Maybe to five of my friends.

What kind of music is on your I Phone?
Let’s see, 276 songs. Mostly rap or rock. I really don’t like country.

What do you do to relax?
I play X Box, maybe five to 10 hours a week. I play Call of Duty, NCAA Football and Assassin’s Creed. I play NCAA Football most of the time, on line.

Tell me about your work in the weight room.
Last year I benched 300 pounds, hang cleaned 200 and squatted 525.

Could you tell me about the worst movie you ever tried to watch?
I can’t even remember the name. It was about people in a town who were trying to leave but couldn’t because of a shield in the way. I rented it but didn’t watch the whole movie.

It sounds like a Twilight Zone plot I once saw. What did you think of the Super Bowl and why do you think the lights went out?
I was for the Ravens. It was Ray Lewis’ last game. The 49ers did it on purpose (knocked out the lights).

Can you remember who you sat beside in the first grade?
(Long pause). I’m not sure. I can’t remember my teacher’s name At this point Kellen received some help from his friends, Mike Roberson, Austin Cobb and Brendon Szippl: Your teacher wasn’t Mrs. Gossard or Mrs. Daniels. It was Miss Beckley.

What’s your favorite lunch in the cafeteria?
Bosco sticks…breadsticks with cheese and garlic.

Can you remember your first-ever job?
I had a Kenton Times paper route. It was in the fifth or sixth grade. There were between 10 and 15 customers. I think I made between $70 and $80 every two weeks. I even got tips. Mrs. Salyer’s husband gave me tips if I could stand the paper up on the door so that when he opened the door the paper fell inside.

Tell me about the bike you delivered papers with.
It was a Mongoose, silver, red and blue.

Did you ever have a skateboard?
I had tons of them. I have about 10 broken ones at home. My favorite was Plan B. I quit skateboarding when I start playing football.

Tell me about your tattoos.
(At this point Kellen showed several arm tattoos). My first one was about a year and a half ago. It cost $300.

Thanks for talking with me. I’ll come back and talk with Mike, Austin and Brendon later.