“I feel like I should be playing college football; I belong at this point. I grew up with it, became a student of the game.”

Several seniors from this past year’s football team are going on to play at the next level, yet only one of them is additionally running track. Next fall, James Willis will be attending the University of Central Missouri (UCM) to pursue the passion he has had since he was 7.

“My dad introduced me to football, but I got myself into track. He’s probably had the biggest impact on my life up to this point. I actually wanted to quit [football] when I was 7, I got bored with it, but he made me keep playing,” James said.

James said his father also assisted him when looking for a college. When they visited UCM he thought it was a perfect fit. However, soon after the decision some second thoughts arose.

“Central Missouri gave me both track and football, but now I feel like I shouldn’t have committed so early, I should have waited,” James said. “The day after I committed I was thinking that I shouldn’t have, so I called the coach and said I was thinking about decommitting.”

After deciding on where to take his talents next year, the University of Missouri, the University of Illinois and Purdue University (among others) showed interest in James.

“Transferring is a thought of mine, but then I would have to start all over. I’d have to be the new kid again, make new friends and work my way back up. My main thing is getting my degree, I’ll be working way longer than I’d be playing football,” James said.

Nonetheless, James is a typical high school senior with the struggles of finding the perfect fit for college. He says he is going to miss his teammates, friends, coaches and KHS’ overall atmosphere.

“With college you have to think about money, about ACT scores and grades. So this year, I was applying to colleges and my mom was getting stressed out and that was stressing me out,” James said.

During his senior campaign, James totaled six touchdowns, including a 99-yard kickoff return against Pattonville, setting a new KHS record. He was also a part of KHS’ first state championship in 2012.

“KHS was everything I was looking for in high school, like you see in the movies,” James said.