There isn’t much down time in the schedule of Perry senior Will Whiton.  For the past four years, Whiton has excelled in four sports covering the entire 12 month school calendar.  On Wednesday, Whiton had to narrow it down to one.  The All State Cornerback chose South Dakota State and will be a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference School starting next fall.

“You can only play football for so long,” smiled the humble Whiton.  “You can play slow pitch, baseball, pickup basketball any time, golf or even go run or jog.  But football is unique.  You can’t just put on pads and hit somebody every day and in the end, it is the ultimate team sport and that’s why I chose football.”

The decision was difficult due to the success Whiton has enjoyed in each of the four sports he participates in.  The senior is a two time All State football player, a multiple All State honoree in baseball, and a State track and field finalist in both the 100 meter dash and long jump.  He has been a multiple All Conference selection in basketball as well.  In this modern era where high school student athletes are specializing in one or two sports, Whiton has proved that you can be successful in all the sports with the proper discipline and dedication.

“I get about 4 weeks of vacation a year (from competing in high school sports) and those 4 weeks are great and I love every second of it.  But in the end, I don’t think I could sit around and not compete.  That’s just not me.”

Whiton drew interest in multiple sports from multiple schools including Iowa, Iowa State and Drake along with Division Two football powers Northwest Missouri State and Minnesota State Mankato.  In fact, for a while, it looked like Whiton might dawn the purple of Minnesota State but a late visit to Brookings changed all of that.

“The campus, the facilities and the academics.  It was a place that set their standards high and I liked everything that I saw.  It was an easy decision once I visited there.  They talked about their football tradition and (Head Coach) John Stiegelmeier is entering his 18th year and has been building it a long time and has the ultimate goal of a national championship.”

Whiton is Perry High School’s 2nd All Time leading rusher with over 3100 yards from the quarterback and wide receiver spot.  He has a school record 270 points and also shattered the Perry record for most yards from the line of scrimmage with over 5500 yards and 7500 all-purpose yards.  However, the speedy back will be counted on to get bigger and contribute as a defensive back in the secondary and also give a boost to the Jackrabbit return game.  That should be no problem for Whiton who shares the school record with 13 career interceptions and 6 kickoff/punt returns for touchdowns.  Yet despite all of these individual honors and record setting numbers, the All Academic selection is most proud of his team accomplishments.

“My best memories are obviously my freshmen year when we made the (football) playoffs and also going 3-1 in homecoming games.  Our baseball team was a conference champion and now, hopefully, our basketball team will capture a conference championship this year.”

Whiton recently recorded his 1000th career point on the basketball court as the Bluejays are currently in first place in the Raccoon River Conference.

South Dakota State finished 12th in the final Football Championship Subdivision poll last year.  The Jackrabbits have qualified the past 3 years for the FCS playoffs.  SDSU lost to 4 time defending National Champion North Dakota State in the final minute 27-24 at the Fargo Dome in the 2nd Round of this year’s playoffs.  Six Missouri Valley Football Conference schools finished in this year’s Top 25 poll.

Will is the son of Kelly and Kurt Whiton of Perry.