Get used to seeing Ryan Sipes when your team plays Shelby County High School out of Columbiana, Ala. That’s because the multisport player has made competing for SCHS Wildcat teams a year-round endeavor.
In the fall, Sipes plays quarterback for the football team under coach Zeb Ellison. In the winter, he’s competing for head basketball coach Chase Cornelius. And in the spring, he’ll suit up for Cory Hamrick, who serves as the head baseball coach at SCHS.
One thing is for sure, Ryan is enjoying his time as a student-athlete.
“I like the community that our school has, the people around it, and the coaches,” Ryan says.
The son of Chris and Jamie Sipes, Ryan says his favorite subject at Shelby County is science and carries a 3.0 G.P.A. in the classroom. He is an A/B Honor Roll student and was named “Player of the Week” in football and honorable mention all-county in basketball.
On the basketball court, mutual respect flows between the shooting guard and his coach. Cornelius loves Ryan’s confident approach to the game, and in turn, Ryan has fully bought into his head coach’s philosophy.
“He’s a young man that craves the competition and wants the pressure on him,” Cornelius said. “Not a lot of kids can mentally handle the load of 3 sports and in the crucial position of those teams. He’s a guy that coaches want on their team.”
Sipes, speaking of his head coach, adds, “I like the way he runs (the program). He keeps us disciplined and we just want to play for him because he’s that good of a coach and we appreciate him, what he is as a coach and what he has done for us so far.”
Outside of school and sports, Ryan loves to hunt, fish, and hang out with friends. He says he would one day like to meet Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young.
Though he’s currently undecided on his college choice, Ryan has plans to one day transform his drawing skills into a career as an architect. That’s his blueprint for success, and at Shelby County, he’s already built a great foundation. TG
A special thanks to our sponsor, Norris Paving. For more information, please visit www.norrispaving.com
Photos by Al Blanton
