Today’s interviewee is Kell quarterback Bryce Clavon, whose team will open the season at home today against Parkview in the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic. Clavon passed for 2,668 yards and rushed for 789 last season and made GHSF Daily’s preseason Georgia Power 100. He’s an even more highly rated baseball player, or at least that’s the view of Perfect Game, which recently named him the state’s No. 1 high school baseball prospect. On Sunday, Clavon played in the Baseball Factory All-American Game at Globe Life Stadium in Dallas. This Sunday, he will play in the Perfect Game All-American Classic at Chase Field in Phoenix. He’ll then go to San Diego and possibly Taiwan to play for Team USA.
1. Given your remarkable baseball travels, which aren’t done yet, how have you been able to juggle the two sports, and what will this first game be like? “I really missed the whole summer of football. I went to maybe three or four days. Since fall practice started, I’ve missed only one weekend practice. I’m making sure I’m around my team and being there with the receivers and making sure our timing is down. I’ve been watching film, getting a feel for the defense. I’ll be ready. We knew who were playing a long time ago, and we’ve been ready since we found out. I’m looking forward to the competition. There are a lot of big names on both teams. We’ve got the 8 o’clock game. It’s going to be a great crowd. It’s going to have that Friday night feeling on a Wednesday.”
2. What has this summer been like on the baseball field? “It’s been a lot of travel. It started right after school ended, and I’ve been on the road since May. I’ve been to Arizona, Alabama, North Carolina, Florida and Texas, and I go back to Arizona right after the [football] game on Wednesday. The most memorable part has been meeting new players. There are a lot of good players around, and I pick up certain things from certain players to improve my game.” [Clavon expressed some regret that he hasn’t hit better, but his average is .440 over more than 120 at-bats this summer. He’s a middle infielder whose defensive skills and speed help set him apart.]
3. You’ve spoken in the past about wanting to play football and baseball in college. How has your summer baseball success changed your plans? “I wouldn’t say it’s changed. My dream is still to be a two-sport player in college, so it’s just finding the school where I can do both. I don’t want to go into depth about which schools [are open to recruiting him for both sports]. We still have to set up my official visits, and that’s what those will be for. But it’s been a big goal I’ve been dreaming about since I was a kid. I’ve wanted to be at a real high level in both.”
4. What do you like about football and baseball, and how are they different? “For football, I love being the quarterback. It’s being the leader of a team and the leader of a program and being able to help everybody, just sharing my knowledge of the game and helping them accomplish their goals. In baseball, I love doing everything, the hitting, fielding, throwing, running. I love all the little things. The main difference between the two is the success and failure. For example, being 3-for-10 or 4-for-10 is considered a great hitter in baseball, but being 4-for-10 passing in football is below average or bad. So you have to differentiate between the two. To me it’s all mental.”
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