Growing up, Noah Reynolds wasn’t the biggest player on the football field.
While some believed he wouldn’t stick with the sport after the 56ers program, Reynolds aimed to prove them wrong.
To this day, he plays with that chip on his shoulder.
“Once I hit sixth grade, I really liked defense,” Reynolds said. “I found that hitting people was the fun part of football. Back then, I was still the little guy. People said that I wasn’t going to stick with it, that I was going to quit. Part of it was to prove people wrong.
“When I started, I was a defensive back and wide receiver. I hit my growth spurt, and then moved to fullback. The first time I was on the defensive line was freshman year. I’ve stuck with it since then.”
The past two seasons, Reynolds has started on the varsity defensive line for the Braves.
He helped the Braves win the Mid-Southern Conference, sectional and regional last year and has aided Brownstown to a 6-1 record thus far in 2017.
Reynolds, listed at 5-10 and 205 pounds, relies on quickness and strength to pressure opposing quarterbacks and stop runners.
“I feel like I can get off the ball faster than a lot of linemen,” he said. “I’m not really fast, but my first step is quick. I use that to my advantage.”
On the field, Reynolds serves as one of the more vocal leaders.
“We had a lot of seniors last year (leading),” Reynolds said. “We have a lot of good players who lead by example this year. I take it on myself to try to get everyone fired up.”
Reynolds said hitting the weights has aided in his game.
“I’m very proud of the time put in,” he said. “Around sixth grade, my parents were afraid I couldn’t lift the bars. I started lifting early, and I really liked it. I went hard through the offseasons. It paid off.”
Thus far this season, Reynolds has 19 tackles (seven solo) and a team second-best five sacks.
In the spring, Reynolds will return to the track and field team for a fourth year.
While he mostly threw discus last season, Reynolds also wants to get back into the sprints.
“Throwing is my main thing,” Reynolds said. “I used to be a sprinter, and I drifted away from it last year. I’m going to try to get back into running to get my speed up.
“Our two throwing coaches are really good coaches. We get all of our work done. We had a lot of fun last year with Joe (Barnes).”
Outside of sports, Reynolds said he’s involved in the choir and musical, which he was the lead in last year’s production, and his youth group at Brownstown Christian Church.
After high school, Reynolds said he wants to study mechanical engineering and play football.
“I have a couple ideas where I want to go, but I’m trying to keep an open mind,” Reynolds said. “I want to be an engineer, and Trine University (in Angola) has been a good bet so far because they have a good engineering program. I went up on a visit, and I really liked it.”
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Name: Noah Reynolds
School: Brownstown Central
Parents: Brian and Sheila Reynolds
Sports: Football, four years; track and field, four years
Athletic highlights: 1,000 power club, starting defense all through 2016 semistate, regional champions
Organizations: Booster Club, Lettermen’s Club, choir
Plans after high school: Attend college to study engineering and play football
Favorite food: Buffalo wings
Favorite TV show: “Dragon Ball Z”
Favorite movie: “Deadpool”
Favorite athlete/team: Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens
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The Brownstown Central High School varsity football coaches have announced awards for Friday’s 48-0 win at Clarksville.
Earning honors are Colton Ritz, Offensive Back MVP; Dane Darlage, Offensive Line MVP; Lucas Hines, Defensive Line/Inside Linebacker MVP; Braden Neal, Defensive Back/Dime MVP; Clayton Barger, Special Teams MVP; Brandon Wilson, Scout Team MVP; Brendan Patman, Noah Reynolds, Lendon Underwood, Lane Lucas, black jersey winners.
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