So much of the chatter in our community and social media focuses on the negative plight of our youth. This is one young man that many people may not discuss because he is doing good things. This past summer while many of our youth were spending there days enjoying the sunshine; Ardell spent the summer preparing his future. This Bishop Kearney WR was attending football camps during the off-season and summer. He has been to Syracuse, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Central Connecticut, UConn, Buffalo University, and the Blue Grey Combine. Brown stated to a local news outlet, “This year my mindset, focus and determination have all improved, my goal is to be more physical, more elusive and make more plays with or without the ball.”
This summer Brown not only participated in but was a stand out in the Blue Grey Northeast Super Combine Regional held in Canton, Ohio. For which he earned the MVP medal. In September Brown received his letter in the mail inviting him to participate in the Blue-Grey All-American Game. The Blue-Grey All-American Bowl is an invitation-only, All-Star weekend featuring the top performers from the Blue-Grey Super Combines from across the nation. This incredible weekend will take place at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa, Florida. The All-American Bowl will be played on January 10, 2015
A local sports reporter wrote about Brown saying – “I cannot begin to explain my excitement in this selection, it is such an honor to be playing with other top athletes from around the country in an All-American Game,” says Brown. Being from Upstate New York, it’s very rare for athletes to earn the All-American Status. “I feel like I earned this opportunity not only based on performance, but also preparation to succeed and be better than I was last year.” “My focus has been to improve in all 3 phases of the game, really open up my big-play ability, and to show more leadership for the young guys.” “My work-ethic allowed me to be a little more confident this summer at all the college camps I went to as well….If you don’t prepare to succeed, you prepare to fail,” explains Brown.
We can see Browns talents on the field yet this young man is more than a talented athlete. He is an academically success, a drummer extraordinaire, and a spiritually grounded youth. Ardell is the child of faith-based parents Samuel and Andrea Brown of Chili. He has a 3.2 GPA and is interested in the medical field for a career. Because of his combined successes his difficult college choice is not only based on sports but its academic strength.
Ardell is an atypical youth athlete. He has been a faithful member (along with his entire family) of Aenon Missionary Baptist Church since birth where he is lovingly known as the child that exited the womb playing the drums. He continues to give his talent back to God as a musician at In Christ New Hope.
Upstate New York Gospel Magazine congratulates Ardell on a job well done! We pray for your continued success in sports, academics and life. Please join us in helping ease the financial burden of this family by going to http://www.gofundme.com/dhitsk and support this once in a lifetime opportunity.
