Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

SOLON – In the moments immediately following a 17-0 loss to Mount Vernon in the 3A quarterfinals last season Brett White couldn’t help but think of the future.

White had just finished his junior season at Solon with a torn labrum in his shoulder and on the wet grass at First Street Field in Mount Vernon he began to think about the months ahead.

“When I was laying on the ground after we lost to Mount Vernon thinking about how I had to have surgery there were a lot of uncertainties,” White said.

Those uncertainties didn’t last for long.

Less than six months after surgery to repair his shoulder White put together an all-state baseball season.

A Baylor commit that ranks as one of the top baseball players in the state White ranked in the top five in 3A in 10 offensive categories hitting .460 with seven home runs and 38 RBI.

Now, less than nine months after sitting on the turf in Mount Vernon contemplating his athletic future White is back on the football field enjoying every moment.

“It’s a sigh of relief, I didn’t think I’d be out here this year,” White said. “It feels good to be out here it’s exciting.”

The future for White is baseball but that wasn’t going to keep the 6-foot, 210-pounder off the football field.

Shortly after the season-ending loss to Mount Vernon last season, even with all the uncertainties waiting ahead for White, Solon head coach Lucas Stanton received a text message from his two-way standout.

“He cares about this teammates and coaches, one of the first texts that I got about the Mount Vernon quarterfinal game was from him,” Stanton said. “He sent me a text me talking about getting them next year, he loves football.”

Already a two-time all-state pick, White has established himself as one of the best linebackers in the state while leading Solon in tackles each of the past two seasons.

White has made 171 tackles, including 124 solo stops, in 23 career games over the past two seasons.

It is the same attention to detail and work ethic that has helped White become one of the best hitters in the state that has led to his impressive production on the football field.

“He has a lot of natural instincts that you can’t teach, that knack that all great linebackers have, but he watches a ton of film,” Stanton said. “He studies opponents, he soaks in everything, he is super intelligent when it comes to that stuff, he is smart kid in general, but he just picks that stuff up so well and soaks it in.”

After a debut season in which he made 94 tackles as a sophomore White was even better in an expanded role while battling injury last season.

He had 77 tackles, including a team-high 15 for loss and intercepted three passes helping Solon to an 8-3 record.

“It’s all about the reads and just get to the football,” White said. “It’s also about mentality. You have to have that hustle mentality and that’s been instilled in me from a young age.”

After playing almost entirely on defense as a sophomore White was a two-way starter last season also rushing or a team-high 922 yards and 12 touchdowns.

This season White is back healthy and ready for a final season of football before turning his attention to his baseball career.

“I didn’t know what to expect at the end of last year but I just tried to be positive with it and have fun with it,” White said. “I’m out here because I want to have fun and I can’t imagine watching from the stands.”

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