‘The smartest kid in school’

After tossing his backpack into the back seat of his Silverado, Scotty Mitchell starts the truck, Orion and the Big Dipper still bright above his house. He drives the five minutes to his 6:30 a.m. football practice in silence. “I like to think,” he said. 

Scotty’s days often start at 3 a.m. to find time to finish homework between balancing this second year as captain of the football team, mock trial, community theater, peer tutoring, Kentucky United Nations Assembly, church youth group, his Bluegrass Community and Technical College classes and being president of National Honor Society.

“Scotty is one of those kids that makes your job as a coach easier,” said DJ White, one of Scotty’s football coaches. “I wish I had 10 Scottys. He’s the smartest kid in this school.”  

Scotty doesn’t remember a time he didn’t dream of becoming a lawyer. In middle school, he listened to stories from his grandfather about his time in the military, setting Scotty’s sights on becoming a judge advocate general, a JAG. All he has to do now is finish his applications and get into college — preferably Yale.

Despite his jam-packed schedule, Scotty still finds time to be a normal kid. After every football game, he and “the boys” head to Cook Out to eat quesadillas and mess around. At home he relaxes on his couch with his bulldogs, Holly and Beatrice, playing video games, talking with his parents or sometimes breaking out his older sister’s saxophone. 

Scotty wishes he had more time to read and misses the days he played baseball as a kid. After reading “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom this summer, about a man who spends time with his favorite college professor in the last couple months of his life, Scotty’s perspective on time changed. It’s one of the reasons he’s trying to take on less responsibility as high school comes to a close, so he can spend more time with his friends and family.

Everyone around Scotty believes that in 10 years, he’ll be a lawyer — or anything else he sets his mind to. Scotty can also see himself with a little bit of land, some horses, and a big kitchen where he can cook for his family.

“In 10 years, Scotty’s probably going to be either mowing my lawn or president,” said Tripp Cecil, one of Scotty’s many self-proclaimed “best friends” and teammate.