The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

Meet West Central Senior Heat Athlete

Nicholas Brokaw

Nicholas Brokaw is a senior at West Central High School that played football this year and continually participates in FFA.

Nicholas had this to say about his experience in FFA, "West Central is still growing and is continuing to succeed in local contests, section contests, and even state contests. As usual, we are competitive in every contest we attend; everyone that goes, goes there with the mindset that they are going to do well and give it everything they got. We also have a very good FFA adviser, Mr. Darrell Gittings. He pushes and motivates us to do the very best we can in everything we do, not just in FFA, but in life."

As for football, Nicholas stated, "West Central has kept improving over the past two years. Last year, the football team had the best team in a long time. This year, we were even better. We went 4-5 as a team and missed the IHSA State Playoffs by one win. Next year, I know for sure that the team will grow even more and become better than any football team West Central has ever had. With head coach Jason Kirby, I think our football program is in good hands".

Nicholas said the highlight of his high school career was when he was elected as West Central FFA Chapter President. "It was something that I had been striving for ever since I joined FFA back when I was a freshman, and when I finally got it, it was amazing." Nicholas continued on, "I got that feeling you get when you finally achieve something that you've worked so hard for, and all that hard work finally paid off".

Nicholas's advice to underclassman is as follows, "All throughout high school and life you are going to have obstacles in front of you, whether it's studying for a test, a contest, or training for something. It's not always going to be easy, you can either avoid them completely and back down, or you can face them head on and run through them. I would tell them to put your head down and take on that obstacle. Then, once you get through it, you will feel a whole lot better".

Outside of class, clubs, and sports, Nicholas enjoys eating at Golden Corral, and his favorite food is steak. He also enjoys the movie American Sniper and listens to country music.

Nicholas says his favorite subject in school is Agriculture. Meanwhile, he is also involved in National Honors Society, Henderson County 4-H Federation, Power lifting, and Henderson County Historical Society.

As for college, Nicholas says his favorite is Western Illinois University, and his number one athlete is J. J. Watt.

Nicholas told us his role model is his grandpa, Bill Brokaw. "Even though he passed away six years ago, I still remember the life lessons that he taught me. To me, he was the perfect example of a good Henderson County citizen. Every time I get in a tough situation or I run into a problem, I just think of how grandpa would've handled this."

When asked about his future plans, Nicholas said this, "While I'm in high school, I plan to get my Illinois State FFA Degree, graduate high school, and attend Western Illinois University in the fall of 2018 and major in Agricultural Business. While I'm in college I plan on applying for my American FFA Degree."

Nicholas Brokaw's parents are Richard and Wendy Brokaw.