When Vincent Conklin arrived at Montezuma-Cortez High School four years ago, few people would have pegged the short, wiry wide receiver as an eventual college athlete.
After four years of hard work in his school’s weight room and countless hours on his team’s practice field however, one of his school’s hardest working athletes signed a National Letter of Intent to play football at Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas.
Conklin’s signature committed him to a Sterling College program that has enjoyed consistent success at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and appears poised to continue its winning ways.
“They have a good program,” Conklin said. “They win (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference) championships every year. Sterling is a small town and Cortez is a small town. It’s far away, but it won’t be hard to get used to.”
While playing college football was one of Conklin’s goals for as long as he can remember, competing on the gridiron after high school did not become a reality until last season when Conklin emerged as one of his team’s most potent offensive players.
Consistently lining up at wide receiver and seeing spot-duty at the running back position, Conklin caught 61 passes for 572 yards and a team-high nine touchdowns in his final high school season. The senior also carried the ball 28 times for 181 yards and one touchdown.
“I didn’t believe it at first and then (the opportunity to play college football) happened and I was like, ‘Oh, this is really happening,’” Conklin said. “It was shocking I guess. I was always the smallest kid on the team. I started working out my freshman year and wanted to be the best that I could be.”
To set himself up for success at the college level, Conklin plans to hit the weight room hard this summer and add strength to his 5’8, 160-pound frame.
While Conklin will be one of the smallest players on his college team, the M-CHS standout’s quickness and route-running abilities figure to translate well to a football career after high school.
“(College football) is going to be different, it’s a whole different level just like high school is way different than middle school,” Conklin said. “I’m excited for the experience.”
Although football-related activities will undoubtedly occupy a great deal of Conklin’s time while he is in Kansas, academics will also be a priority in the M-CHS senior’s life as he pursues a degree in business management.
Always cognizant of his local roots, Conklin emphasized that he would not be the player that he is today absent the help that he received from his family, his coaches, his teachers and his teammates.
“I had great teammates,” Conklin said. “I had Cordell (Baer) and Ike (Dennison) and we all pushed each other to be our best. The (high school) game that I’ll always think about is my last playoff game where we almost beat (top-seeded) Bayfield. We almost had it.”
Asked what advice he would give to young players who are hoping to one day be in his shoes, Conklin emphasized that personal resolve and hard work are key.
“You have to believe in yourself,” the senior said. “Height doesn’t matter and you’re going to deal with a lot of haters. Work out a lot.”
Wise words, to say the least, from an M-CHS football player whose contributions to his team and his school will not soon be forgotten.
