By Ken Hansard
Fredonia senior quarterback Brayden O’Leary is our VYPE Poll Winner for quarterbacks in the Southeast Kansas area, but his goals reach far beyond just that accolade. O’Leary, who was named Honorable Mention All-League (Tri-Valley) as a quarterback a year ago states, “That’s not enough; I’m going for it all.”
“Going for it all” encompasses a wide array of responsibilities for this senior leader, “First of all, I’m really looking forward to working with this amazing young group of guys. I’m also really pumped about getting out there and showing the whole Tri-Valley League who Fredonia really is.”
O’Leary, who describes himself as a “Quarterback, leader, motivator and playmaker” has set some ambitious goals for himself. “I hope to run for at least 500 yards and pass for 1500, but more importantly, I want to take my team on a deep playoff run.”
After finishing last season at 4-5 overall and with a first-round playoff loss to eventual state champ Nemaha Central, Brayden is excited to get started after an intense off-season regimen, “I thought we could have easily finished 7-2 last year, but we just didn’t get a couple little things fixed. I’m really proud of our guys for putting in the work this summer and I’m really pumped to see how that pays off – especially for our O-Line. They’ve worked hard and should be much improved.”
Asked about specific challenges that he and the Yellowjackets might face, O’Leary responded, “I’ve always had the mindset of ‘Just play and let your game talk,’ but I’ve always had a little weakness there, so when trash talking starts, I’ve learned to really tune it out. There’s always going to be challenges, but I believe God gives those challenges to those who are capable of overcoming them!”
O’Leary is strong in the classroom, as well, with an impressive 3.95 GPA. After high school, he plans to get his core subjects from a Community College before transferring to Wichita State to earn his undergraduate’s degree in Exercise Science and then a graduate degree in Physical Therapy.
