Some high school athletes show up and play their sport and do not give much thought to anything except the contest in front of them.

Then there are others, like Avery Graham, who know that the game is about more than just him and how he plays.

“Every time I step on the field it feels like I’m not only playing for myself, but I’m playing for the name on my jersey, my entire community, all of the players that have played before me, and the ones that will follow,” Graham said.

Graham is a multisport athlete for the Kansas High School Comets, playing football, basketball, and baseball. Around campus, he is also a senior class officer, and a member of the Student Council, Future Farmers of America, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the Beta Club.

As with all teams, not everyone that is a part of Graham’s teams gets to play, but he says even those that do not play still have a job to do to help the team.

“From my perspective, I don’t see anyone as less appreciated as any other player on the team,” he said. “From the players on the field playing to the guys that are in the dugout yelling and giving encouragement to everyone. Every player on our team has a purpose and is always appreciated on and off the field. The teammate I enjoy working against in practice is Elias Warren. He has been my teammate since junior high and I feel like everything we do with each other is a competition to help each other get better.”

After playing in a lot of games, Avery has had a lot of moments that he has enjoyed. But he has one that he says stands out the most.

“Last season I had a walk-off hit against Vian,” he recalled. “We were down by two with runners at second and third with two out and the count was 2-2. Vian’s pitcher hung a curveball and I hit it to left field for the walk-off hit.”