LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) – Perry senior Brodin Eickholt is the kind of player every coach dreams of having. A true team-first leader, always putting others before himself.

And that same dedication shows up in the classroom. Eickholt ranks among the top ten in his class, proving that hard work pays off both on and off the field.

"In the off-season alone, he's a hard worker, and then in-season, he's a hard worker, you know, he moves around a lot. He's played a couple different positions now in four years. He's played both sides of the ball, so he does a lot that we ask him to do," said Perry football head coach Seth Evans.

Whether it's football or basketball, Eickholt's love for the game has turned into a real sense of pride for this Perry senior.

"I enjoy playing both of those sports. I've played both of those sports most of my life and I, built friendships playing those sports. Watching the people before me, I always wanted to be just as good as them, play like them and now that I get to do it, it's great," Eickholt said.

"I think he's kind of stepped up into a little leadership role. He's a quiet kid, but he leads by example, he does the right things. He does what he's supposed to do and seeing him develop as a leader and as an adult has been fun to watch," Evans added.

Off the field and away from the court, Brodin stays just as driven in the classroom. He's a top ten student in his senior class at Perry.

"He's the kind of kid that you get up in the morning, come to work for. Great attitude, hard-working, you wish every kid would be half as hard-working as Brodin is," said Perry math teacher Mike Clark.

"Every coach will tell you, grades come first. You have to have good grades to play. So you prioritize your grades, make sure you do good in school, pay attention, and then after that, work hard at sports," Eickholt said.

Brodin isn't done with football yet — he plans to play in college, while also pursuing a biology degree to become a forensic science technician.

"You watch crime shows, and you're like, oh, that looks interesting, and then you dive a little deeper into it, and you learn what goes into it, what job you can do to get into that, and it just seemed interesting," he said.

For Brodin Eickholt, his time at Perry has been about more than just sports or grades — it's been a journey of growth, teamwork, and leaving a lasting impact.

"I mean, I've learned a lot from this school, a lot of great people come through here. It's made me a better person. I want people to know that I did what I could for this program, for the school, and that I leave my mark here at Perry," Eickholt said.

Brodin Eickholt is WLIO's McDonald's Scholar Athlete of the Week

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