Since their years of playing in the 56ers youth football program, Brownstown Central’s John McKinney and Clay Wilkerson dreamed big.
When the seniors’ career with the Braves program ended with a regional loss to Gibson Southern, the young men refused to call it quits.
Seven years of football in Brownstown wasn’t enough.
After visiting a number of universities, the two All-Mid-Southern Conference honorees recently made the decision to continue their football careers together — at Franklin College.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
“I’m not ready to be done playing football, honestly,” McKinney said. “I’ve been playing since the fifth grade, and I love it. When we lost to Gibson Southern, I knew that I didn’t want that to be the last time.”
Upon graduation this spring, McKinney will continue his role as a corner, and Wilkerson will return to the trenches on the offensive line.
“I can’t wait to play again. It means it’s not over,” Wilkerson said.
As a defensive back, McKinney served as the Braves’ lock-down corner, finishing this past season with 29 tackles (17 solo, 12 assists) and three interceptions.
McKinney said he would have the opportunity to also play as a receiver for the Grizzlies, but he wants to focus on playing defense.
“(College ball) is going to be a faster pace,” he said. “I think that once I get acclimated to the faster pace, I will be able to make reads well. I’ve always been kind of fast, so I’m hoping to use that to my advantage.”
In 2015, among his numerous honors, Wilkerson was selected to the Senior Class 3A All-State team for the offensive line.
Wilkerson played on both sides of the ball in high school but plans to serve on the offensive line in college.
“I feel like I’m big, strong and pretty fast,” Wilkerson said. “It will help me at the college level. It’s going to be a lot more intense than the high school level. It has been a dream of mine to play college football.
“It’s really nice. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. It feels like a big accomplishment.”
On the Braves’ O-line, Wilkerson, who is 6-foot-2, 290 pounds, helped the offense rack up 4,239 rushing yards and 1,331 passing yards this past season.
Both Wilkerson and McKinney heard about the Grizzlies program from former Braves quarterback Clay Brown, who graduated in 2015.
“It helped having Clay Brown there since we’ve been friends and only live a few miles apart,” McKinney said. “He told me how much he liked it. We visited Franklin, Hanover, Wabash and University of Indianapolis. I like that Franklin is a nice size and close to Indianapolis.
“It’s pretty cool knowing that you will have a friend going with you. We will both go our own paths, but we will be there at the same time. It will be a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to making new friends. I can’t wait to be a part of something bigger.
It will be a big adjustment, but at the same time, it won’t be.”
In 2015, the Grizzlies went 8-3, winning eight straight after dropping their first two games, en route to their sixth consecutive Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference title.
The team also advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs for the eighth time in the last nine seasons.
“They’re a really good football team,” Wilkerson said. “I like the location of the school. I think it’s a great program.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Wilkerson file” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Clay Wilkerson // Brownstown Central senior // Offensive and defensive lines 2015
Accomplishments: Senior Class 3A All-State team on offensive line, All-Mid-Southern Conference, 21 tackles (five solo, 16 assists), part of offensive line that had 4,239 rushing and 1,331 passing yards, helped Braves advance to regional championship.
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”McKinney File” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
John McKinney // Brownstown Central senior // Slot receiver and defensive back 2015
Accomplishments: All-Mid-Southern Conference, 29 tackles (17 solo, 12 assists), three interceptions, 829 rushing yards, 12 total touchdowns, converted five 2-point conversions, 12 catches for 127 yards, helped Braves advance to regional championship.
[sc:pullout-text-end]