Editor’s note: This is a regular feature profiling senior athletes at Bryant High School.
NAME: Cody Elmore
PARENTS: Hillary Theobald and Kevin Elmore and my step-dad is Travis Theobald
FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL: Definitely journalism.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME? I really don’t have any spare time. Between football and journalism and school most of it’s taken up. When I do get some spare time, I like to get out and shoot my bow and stuff. Hunting season’s coming up so I like to do that.
FAVORITE FOOD: My girl makes some really good chicken salad. I’ve just recently discovered how good that tastes so she’s been making a lot of that.
FAVORITE MUSIC ARTIST OR GROUP: Definitely the Zac Brown Band. They’re really good.[more]
FAVORITE MOVIE: Probably Saving Private Ryan. That’s one of my favorites.
FAVORITE TV SHOW: I don’t really get to watch TV
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A KID? Really I didn’t have a favorite toy. I played with action figures a lot. Like I had Power Rangers action figures and a lot of stuff.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL? I’m going to go to Fayetteville. I’d like to get a degree in journalism and some day write for a publication.
OTHER THAN YOUR PARENTS, WHO HAS HAD THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR LIFE? Probably Mrs. (Margaret) Sorrows, just by getting me involved with the newspaper. It’s really made me realize that that’s what I’m good at and that’s kind of what I want to do with my life. She’s been a great mentor, couldn’t ask for a better one.
FAVORITE THING ABOUT FOOTBALL: Besides game night, it’s probably just staying in shape and kind of having a different mentality than most other people do. It makes you think in ways that other people don’t get to think.
POSITION: Tight end
WHAT DO YOU FEEL LIKE IS YOUR PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY ON THE FIELD? Really, at tight end, you’ve got to look at being a dual threat. You’ve got to block and you’ve also got to be able to run out and catch a pass. So, when I get the chance to go out and get the ball thrown to me, I have to catch it. So far, I think I’ve caught all of them so that’s good.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE SEASON SO FAR? We weren’t the team that we are now the first two games. The first two games we did not do what we were supposed to do. Yeah, we beat Benton but we should’ve beaten them by 80 points. Then Texarkana, we came out and we played. I actually got sick that game. I was running a like a 102-degree fever at halftime. It was bad. But we were playing the way we need to play. The passing game came against Catholic and had a good showing. I think every game we’ve gotten increasingly better. Hopefully, that’ll keep going.
WHEN THE TEAM’S DOING WELL, WHAT’S IT DOING? We’re functioning as one unit. I think especially against Northside, it was like the offense and the defense were two separate groups. We weren’t encouraging each other. You know, if one group messed up, they got made at the other group. We had a lot of clashing going on. I think, in recent games, we haven’t been doing that.
WHAT'S BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT TO THE SEASON SO FAR? I think the biggest highlight was coming out and beating Catholic because they had beaten Northside who we lost to. I think that was good.
WHAT'S IT GOING TO TAKE FOR THE TEAM TO BE SUCCESSFUL THE REST OF THE SEASON? What we’re doing right now is going to work. If we keep doing what we’re doing right now, working the way we need to work, all we’re going to do is get better. I think with every practice, coming out we’re just going to keep getting better as long as we have the same mentality.
INDIVIDUALLY, WHAT ABOUT YOUR GAME ARE YOU MOST CONFIDENT ABOUT? I’m definitely not a power-blocking tight end. I don’t really weigh enough to move people off the ball but I can position block well. I can pass block well and, if I get out on a route, I run like a high 4.7, I think, so I’m fast enough to run with the linebackers.
WHAT DO YOU WORK HARDEST TO IMPROVE? Definitely just power blocking. I have to get my nose in people’s pads and move them off the ball.
AFTER YOU'RE THROUGH PLAYING FOOTBALL AT BHS, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'LL REMEMBER MOST FONDLY ABOUT IT? Definitely just being about to come out and play; the fact that I was able to do it. I went to Sheridan before I came here and the football program here and there is completely different. I’ll just be really thankful that I made the switch and came to this team.
