JWCC Prairie State Profile: Brown County’s Wort relishes experiencing memorable moments

MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — The roar of the Harley Davidsons. The swaying of the crowd. The green and white banners everywhere.

How could a Brown County football player not be energized coming out of the locker room and running into such an environment?

“It is the greatest thing ever,” said Colby Wort, the Hornets’ senior wingback/linebacker. “It’s truly what I live for. All those long practices, all the sweating for three hours and thinking, ‘Why are you doing this?’ It’s all done for that moment. It’s the biggest adrenaline rush.”

Wort has experiences that relate to the emotion and energy of a football Friday night.

He pitched a complete game in the Class 1A super-sectional last spring, beating Carrollton 4-3 and sending the Hornets to the final four in any sport for the first time in school history. He was part of a basketball team that won 22 games last winter.

But Friday nights, like the one looming this week when Central visits Brown County in a battle of undefeated Western Illinois Valley Conference North Division heavyweights, are just different.

“The state championship game in baseball is a huge deal, but running out on Friday nights behind Harleys, feeling the energy of the crowd and of your coaches, the whole community coming together, that’s the greatest feeling you can have as an athlete,” Wort said.

“Going out there and performing to the best of your abilities, not just for yourself but for your teammates and your community, is something special.”

Wort discussed the Central rivalry, the growth of a youthful Brown County squad and fishing with Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman for this week’s Prairie State Profile, brought to you by John Wood Community College:

Q: What makes the Central week special?

A: There are many things that go into it. Both programs have always had a long line of success. They’ve made a lot of playoff runs, and so have we. We have our streak going. Both programs do things right. It creates that rivalry of who does it better. That’s one of the main things we take pride in because we feel we do it better. Both teams have really tough athletes. We just want to prove we do things right. We know they do, too. It’s one of those things that we have that need and that desire to prove ourselves.

Q: In a rivalry game, emotion can play a big role. How much do you have to keep emotions in check?

A: They do play a significant role, and I think those emotions have pros and cons. Having that adrenaline and that fire to keep you going and motivates you to do things you don’t normally do, that can be a great thing. In hindsight, you can also not do your job right, not listen to your coaches, get caught up in the moment. There’s bad things like that. Emotions play a huge role, but settling in, doing your job, believing in your team and trusting your coaches is the main thing. No matter how much emotions are coming to you, you have to keep them in check in those bigger games.

Q: Having been through games like this, what’s the best advice you could give to your younger teammates?

A: The biggest thing is preparation. Going into the game knowing your stuff, knowing what they’re going to do, knowing your teammates are going to play to the best of their abilities is the biggest thing. It takes care of your nerves. It takes care of your ability to come out and perform. The biggest thing is just preparation. Like I’ve said, keep those emotions intact while using the pros and cons they give you.

Q: Sitting 3-0 through three weeks, are you surprised Brown County’s younger players have come along as quick as they have?

A: Actually, I am surprised. I never doubted them. I knew they had it in them. Getting it out of them was one of my biggest concerns. As we’ve gone through camp and gone through practices and now gone through games, I’ve seen guys evolve the same way I did. I learned from the guys above me, the Chance Fuquas, the Tate Fullertons, those type of guys. I try to embrace the way those guys were leaders for me. I see those younger guys evolving the same way I did. It’s one of the greatest things I’ve seen being a leader and being a senior. Trusting the coaches and trusting the program in general and trusting the younger guys are going to step up is huge. It has surprised me, but it’s the greatest surprise I have ever gotten.

Q: How fortunate do you consider yourself to have the experiences you’ve enjoyed as a student-athlete at Brown County?

A: Sometimes I just kind of sit and think about everything I’ve been able to accomplish and everything I’ve been able to experience. I’m extremely grateful for the teammates I’ve been able to play with and the coaches who have helped me come as far as I have. Looking back on it all, four years through this process, I’m super grateful I did grow up as a Brown County Hornet. It’s very inspiring to me to look at those younger kids and I realize I was one of them and they have so much in front of them to look forward to. Looking back, I’m so grateful I was able to experience those games in football, basketball and baseball. These are memories I’ll have for the rest of my life. I’m so grateful for that opportunity.

Q: When you get away from sports, what do you like to do?

A: A lot of people ask me this, and it’s definitely not homework. I love anything to do with nature. Whenever I feel stressed out about anything, even in baseball when we started losing a few games, I said, “Coach, I don’t want to practice. I just want to go out and I want to go fishing.” Anything with nature is it. I love to watch movies and listen to music, anything that can calm me down and bring me back to that welcoming nature. I like hunting, fishing, spending time with my friends, really anything that takes that stress away from me. It’s a great reliever from sports or school or anything.

Q: I know you’re not going to give any secrets away, but do you have a favorite fishing hole?

A: My favorite fishing hole is is in Missouri at Montauk State Park. There are incredible amounts of trout in there. That is my fishing hole. That is my favorite spot in the whole wide world.

Q: Have you given any thought to what it is beyond high school?

A: I have given it a lot of thought. As I’ve seen my brothers and previous multi-sport athletes like Nathan Hendricker and other athletes I’ve looked up to, seeing their process I’ve learned you can never really be set on what you’re going to do. You never know when you’re going to have an outstanding basketball season, an outstanding baseball season or outstanding football season. You’re never going to know when the right college scout is going to see you. So right now, I’m just looking at bigger schools for education. I just never know if I’m going to have that big season or if I’m going to have that desire to go out and play sports in college. I’m open to anything.

Q: Have you thought about an academic field of study?

A: I want to study kinesiology and then I want to get my doctorate in physical therapy. I then want to look into the medical field to be a physical therapist. I love it to death. After getting injured last year and going through that process, I fell in love with it.

Q: You mentioned your brothers — Dylan, Keaton and Zach. How much fun has it been being the younger brother?

A: There’s a lot of pros and cons to it. One thing, I was able to see them play and learn from them. Having them beat up on me helped me in sports, but also seeing the actions they made — good or bad — I could follow based on what they did. It helped me weave through life in a way where I could learn from their mistakes. They truly helped me grow as a person. If I didn’t have them, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I truly believe that. I’m so grateful to be able to experience life with them.

Q: It’s only mid-September, but are you enjoying your senior year so far?

A: It’s great. The worst thing about it is the heavy class load and the homework that comes with it. I just love being that role model for the younger kids, the same way I looked up to the role models when I was younger. I just love being a leader for anybody on the team. I’m just looking forward to the rest of the year whether it’s sports or school or any other memories that come with it.