MAGAZINE, Ark. — Magazine High School linebacker Kolton McCubbin was voted Yarnell's Sweetest Play of Week One for his pick six against Lamar High School. Just a few weeks ago, Kolton was at a three-month basic training for the U.S. Army. He plans to enlist after he graduates next semester.
"I think it fits my life," Kolton said. "I never really had anything set like that I wanted to do and move forward to, and it's just a good thing to set up my future career. That's really all I think about, planning a lot about my future and everything. It's good financially to start off and just get my career going early."
Before he enlists, he has a football season to play. Although missing an entire summer of practice isn’t ideal, Kolton's coach said he didn’t miss a beat.
"He's in great shape, so that didn't hurt there," Magazine coach Ryan Chambers said. "He's a super smart kid, so scheme-wise, it wasn't a big learning curve for him. He's got it fast, and he jumped right in there like he hadn't missed a beat."
He showed that last Friday night when he made the play of the game.
"My side was gonna rush and try and just tip the kick, get in the way of anything," Kolton said. "I was already ready to rush the quarterback at that point, and whenever they bobbled the snap, it just gave me a few extra seconds to get there. I was going to try and make the tackle, and I saw him. I was reading his eyes. He was gonna lob it up. He was getting tackled by two other guys and I was just in the right place at the right time."
That play helped restore his confidence in himself despite missing all of summer ball.
"I was a little worried that missing all summer was going to set me back behind the rest of the team. They've been putting a lot of work in over the summer, but it kind of just restored the confidence that I can still play with these guys," Kolton said.
Plays like that, on top of spending time at basic training, has helped him become a leader of this Rattler team.
"I was the platoon leader at basic, so we had big bays full of people, and I was the one put in charge there," Kolton said. "That helped build just confidence and leadership."
Not only has he become a leader at basic and on the field, he has also become a leader in the Magazine community.
"I try to be helpful when I can help people out, and just overall, be positive to the community," Kolton said.
His coach has loved watching him grow from elementary school all the way to his senior year.
"I'm very proud of him," Chambers said. "We've butted heads before, you know, he's just a fiery young man. And we've grown together. I've been here for nine years, and he's been here every year since he was an elementary P.E. with me. Just the growth he's had from all those years, I'm really excited to see what he's going to do after he graduates."
Kolton said he is excited for his next chapter, but for now, he’s focused on bringing a 2A state title to his hometown.
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