Mason Manley
Bartlesville High School
Mason Manley of Bartlesville High School started playing football in the first grade. His passion for the sport was solidified when he was a member of a team that won the INFC (Indian Nations Football Conference) championship in his first year. Since then, football has been his passion, even while he played other sports.
“While I played sports like basketball, baseball, and wrestling growing up, I found out later on that football is my sport. There’s no other sport that holds a greater feeling of brotherhood,” said Manley.
Manley’s willingness to play any position has allowed him to play multiple spots for the Bruins. This season he is moving back to a position he is very familiar with.
“While I started the last two years at safety and loved it, I found that getting my nose on the ball is my thing. So,switching back to linebacker this year has made defense a lot more fun for me. I was able to get 55 tackles both years out at safety, so I’m eying to get even more this year in the box,” said Manley.
Coming into the new season, Manley said he has seen a lot of positives with the team.
“Spring camp went really smooth; I saw a lot of great things out of our underclassmen. It was a huge question heading into this offseason as to who was going to step up and fill a role, and guys like Caiden Chambers, Archer Swisher, Jesus Ortiz, and Jarek Edwards made a name for themselves this spring,” said Manley.
When it comes to grades, Manley said he is focused and pushing himself to be better in the classroom than on he is on the field.
“What makes Bartlesville a great place for me as a student-athlete is the access, I have to get a head start on my education. I’m able to take concurrent classes and an internship through their internship program,” said Manley.
Being inspired as a football player helps the athlete set goals and reach those goals. For Manley, inspiration has come from many sources.
“A huge inspiration to me has been my teammates and some past teammates like John Torres, Avery Hitchings, Noah Newton, Junior Earnhart, D’marcus Smith, Nate Neal, and Casey Young. For the last two years, we’ve been there for each other every single morning at 6:30 A.M. workouts to grind together. No matter the circumstances outside if was pouring rain, 110 degrees, or icy roads, I could always count on them to be there to get one percent better,” said Manley.
Manley hopes the team can face a tough schedule and put forth an effort they can be proud of. Manley said his goals are clear, “My goal is that we go and beat the teams we lost to in the final minutes like Sand Springs, Sapulpa, and Claremore.”
