FEATURED ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Jack Kendall, North Putnam

Jack Kendall watches a pitch come toward the plate in last month’s county tournament. He also plays football and basketball.

Banner Graphic/Joey Bennett

Banner Graphic: What have you learned from sports, and what do you like about them?

Jack Kendall: “I have learned how to grow as a team and play as a team. I like the energy and the competitiveness. It’s great to be out there with all those eyes looking at you in the heat of the moment. It’s a great feeling.”

BG: You weren’t one of the key members of the basketball team, but you looked like you enjoyed it.

JK: “I had more of a supporting role on the bench, to be energetic and to have fun. Coach [Collin McCartt] always talks about us having fun with the guys. I wasn’t a big part of the team, but I was an asset to the team.”

BG: Was it hard to go from one sport to the next one all year round?

JK: “It gets tiring. It’s very hard on my body sometimes. Sometimes I come home and lay down and my body just hurts. It takes a toll after a while.”

BG: How is this baseball season looking?

JK: “We didn’t start off too well, but it was great to win the county again. That was a big momentum changer for us. I like pitching the best. I’m not hitting very well right now. We think we can do well in the sectional. We already beat Rockville, which is a big step for us. We lost to Southmont, but I think we’ll be a big contender.”

BG: What else do you do besides schoolwork and sports?

JK: “I like to fish a lot, and I hunt a little bit. I like to sing too. I have a family of singers on my dad’s side. My dad is really big into barbershop singing, and I like to do that too. He’s in a group called ‘Late Shift’, and they’re in the top 20 heading into the international competition. I’ve grown into that a little bit. It’s fun. I’m not much of a movie guy, but I like to play video games every now and then. I do like to watch baseball on TV.”

BG: What are your future plans?

JK: “I’m going to Trine University [in northeastern Indiana] and play baseball [with 2016 Cougar grad Kyler Jeter]. I’m not sure what I'm going to major in yet, but it will be something to do with engineering.”

BG: Have you had a good experience at North Putnam?

JK: “It’s been great. It’s going to be tough stepping off that hill for the last time. I’ve had a lot of good teachers and classes. My freshman year they said it would be here before you know it, and here it is the last month of my senior year.