School: Pennridge
Football, Basketball, Baseball
Favorite athlete: Tony Romo
Favorite team: Dallas Cowboys
Favorite memory competing in sports: State playoffs as sophomore in baseball
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: Scoring an own-goal when I was 10 playing soccer.
Music on iPod: Mostly rap
Future plans: Major in biology in college, go to medical school and become an orthopedic surgeon
Words to live by: “Work hard, because there may be people with more talent than you, but there is no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.”
One goal before turning 30: Have my own medical practice
One thing people don’t know about me: I am afraid of thunderstorms.
Two years ago, as a sophomore, Kyle Peters saw some playing time on the Pennridge varsity basketball team. And it wasn't a very pretty sight.
The Rams were in the midst of a miserable 1-21 season, losing most of those games by 18 or more points.
For someone like Peters -- who was already carrying a difficult academic courseload and played football in the fall and baseball in the spring -- that year might have been the perfect excuse to give up on basketball.
Peters, however, saw it as an opportunity.
"When you see your varsity team getting beaten that bad, for me at least, I wanted to have a say in turning that around," Peters said. "I don't think you ever quit in life or say, ‘We're not doing well, so I don't want to be a part of this.' because if you really like the game, you should stay with it.
“I love playing basketball and I knew we had a lot of talent coming up, and we could change it. Sticking it out was just kind of a life thing. I don't ever want to quit just because you're not doing well."
That attitude has paid off, not only for Peters but for his Rams' squad on the hardwood as well. Pennridge has opened the 2010-11 basketball season by racing out to a 5-0 record and has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the Suburban One Continental Conference.
And while Peters' contributions to the undefeated start may not always show up in the box scores, the senior captain's contributions have been invaluable to the Rams.
"Kyle is hard to take off the floor because of all the intangibles he brings," said Pennridge boys basketball coach Dean Behrens. "Is he our leading scorer? No, but he'll draw a couple charges, he'll set screens, gets on the floor for loose balls, gives us steals, rebounds, plays defense.
“He does everything. When you say, 'Don't leave it on the floor,' Kyle doesn't. He gives everything he's got."
A key part of Peters’ game is his intelligence, and his awareness of his roles on his respective teams. Though he may get his share of the spotlight as the quarterback on the Rams' football team and the first baseman on the baseball squad, Peters is more than happy to play a supporting role on the hardwood.
"I don't have a problem transitioning from one role to another or one sport to another," Peters said. "In basketball, I don't want to be the guy they count on to score 30 points a game because I don't feel like that's in my ability. I think that each role I have on each team is perfect for the abilities I have.
"Sometimes people get caught up in the need to be the star, and not everyone can be the star. You have to have the guys behind the scenes doing little things to make it possible for those guys to do what they do. In the end, it's all about the team's success, not the individual."
It's all about the team for Peters. That's why he decided not to play summer baseball in order to get in more work for the upcoming football season. And while the Rams fell short of their ultimate goal of qualifying for the district playoffs, they did improve on their previous record, posting a winning season at 7-5, and they topped their rivals form Quakertown, 22-12, in the traditional Thanksgiving Day matchup.
And the next day, Peters had traded in his shoulder pads for his basketball shorts.
"I'm used to it by now," Peters said. "I like when it's time to switch sports. I really like basketball practice."
While the seasons may bring changes of sports, Peters’ commitment to academics never changes. He is currently ranked number one in his class and is taking four Advanced Placement classes this year.
"When you're in high school, it's not always cool to be a good student," Behrens said. "Kyle doesn't let that bother him. There are a lot of negative influences out there, and a lot of pressure to do certain things. He just handles himself in a very professional manner."
"Academics come first all the time," Peters said. "While sports are a great thing, at some point it's going to come to an end and your intelligence is going to carry you.
"It's difficult at some points when you get home at 6 o'clock at night and you have a couple hours of homework, but I feel like I'm a good time manager and I can get home and shower and eat and do my homework without wasting any time. I feel like if you're just efficient with your time, it's very manageable. I try to go to bed by 10 each night. I hate when I go to bed late, it messes me up for the whole week."
Peters, whose parents are Pennridge High School graduates, has already been accepted to Villanova University and Lebanon Valley College and is waiting to hear from the likes of Johns Hopkins and Princeton, among others.
He's taking his time with his decision. Because as much as he enjoys playing sports, Peters said he'd likely be willing to sacrifice athletics if it meant getting into a more prestigious academic university.
And when he's left behind the athletic fields and academic rooms of Pennridge, he doesn't want to be remembered as being the best ... only as being the hardest worker.
"I'd want people to remember me as someone who always worked hard and did everything I could to make myself the best I could, on the field and in the classroom," he said.
Behrens believes Peters will be remembered precisely that way.
"Kyle works extremely hard," he said. "You never have to worry about the kind of effort Kyle is going to give. In practice or in games or in the classroom. He doesn't take time off or plays off.
“He's really well-rounded when it comes to the overall individual. He's a great student, a good athlete, he represents Pennridge well. Kyle's a class kid. As a coach, he's exactly the type of kid you want on your team."
