Senior commutes to Franklin for football

boshea@highlandsnews.com

When Mary Brooks moved her family to Highlands, her 17-year-old son Casey had one request: “I don’t care as long as I can play football.” Since Highlands School does not have a football team, he eagerly enrolled at Franklin High School.

“He just had it in his head that he wanted to play football,” said Mary.

Casey is now a senior at Franklin High School and plays on the team’s defensive line. He said his interest in football could be summed up simply.

“It’s the competition. I just love it,” said Casey.

He added that having a great coach, Josh Brooks (no relation), made things a lot easier after the move.

“He’s the greatest coach I’ve ever met,” said Casey. “He’s very respectful and a great man.”

Coach Brooks said Casey was a positive addition to his team.

“Casey is very hard-working, what we consider wide-open,” said Brooks. “He doesn’t have a middle gear. He’s either stopped or at full-speed all the time. He’s a great team player and fun to be around, and he’s always positive.”

Living in Highlands and attending school in Franklin did cause some woes for the Brooks family before Casey got his driver’s license. He tried to take the bus once, but being at the bus stop at 5:30 a.m. and then spending two hours riding the bus was not appealing to him.

“It was during that time that gas prices were so high,” said Mary. “We had to do some juggling, but I’m very happy Casey has his license now.”

Casey moved to Highlands from Staten Island, N.Y., during his sophomore year of high school. He is now a senior and said he has friends in both Highlands and Franklin. He said the initial transition was difficult, but he managed.

“It was pretty rough at first, but you make new friends,” said Casey.

He added that the pace is slower in Franklin than in New York, and he is glad to be going to a larger school than Highlands School.

“It was a lot slower than New York. It was kind of a culture shock,” said Casey. “I like the bigger school. There’s more people and a bigger atmosphere. There’s more people to know, and I have a lot more friends.”

After Casey graduates, he plans to attend college and study either law enforcement or some type of physical therapy.

Casey will wear his Franklin High School uniform at least one more time when the team faces Asheville in the second round of the state football playoffs at Asheville on Friday.