Putting in the hours

After graduating a historic class of male athletes in 2024, Brayden Schoon was the perfect athlete to follow in their footsteps.

A four-sport athlete, Schoon supported his team whether by playing or watching. He wasn’t a four-year starter, and some sports he only earned a consistent starting spot as a senior. But the work he put in during his first three years made him irreplaceable in the Panthers’ lineups.

It was for those reasons and more that Schoon was named the Male Outstanding Athlete for the Class of 2025.

“To have a kid like that is unheard of these days,“ head football coach Brian Morrison said. ”Creston is a small community, and we need kids like that that can do multiple athletic events and continue doing that. He’s one that the young kids that can look at. He’s proven he’s good.”

Football

Football, one of Schoon’s best sports, is also his favorite. After moving to Creston from Estherville Lincoln Central in seventh grade, he started primarily playing offensive line.

Schoon was one of very few non-senior starters in the 2023-24 season that ended with a loss at the Dome.

“For that position, he’s just super athletic,” Morrison said. “We’ve had a few kids that trend that way and he’s definitely one of them as far as what he can do on the football field.”

Though it can be hard to quantify how well an offensive lineman performs, Morrison said it’s not a coincidence that the Panthers had two of their best ever rushing years with Schoon on the line.

“They are good because they have guys up front blocking for them,” Morrison explained. “You could have a really good running back and not run the football if you don’t have a good line.”

Schoon’s protection on the line helped the offense rush nearly 2,000 yards his senior season and score 21 touchdowns from the ground. They also protected the quarterback, allowing him to throw for 14 touchdowns.

Schoon went from one of the younger guys to the oldest in just one year, but he said the class before him prepared him.

“I felt like the grade before me did a really good job showing me what I need to do stepping into the role,” Schoon said. “Senior year I stepped up, played a leadership role. It helps having really good friends with you.”

Some of his football mentors include his dad Jeremy, coach Morrison, Quinten Fuller and Cael Turner.

“Brayden is a kid that’s respected by his teammates. He’s a great leader, so he’ll be missed definitely for us,” Morrison said. “He leads by example really. He’s good with young kids, encourages them in practice and just works hard at what he wants. That’s what he does in any sport; he’s a competitor.”

Another way Schoon makes his presence known is through his voice.

“I’ve always really been that vocal person. I have lots of confidence with myself,” he explained. “I believe in what my coaches believe in. Every team needs one of those people. When you’re a kid, nobody really talks; you’re all just having fun. What helped me then was my dad, he’s a very vocal person.”

Schoon capped off a fantastic senior season with a first-team all-district spot as an offensive lineman and a spot in the 2025 Shrine Bowl on July 19.

Each year, 92 of the best high school football players in Iowa are selected to play in the Iowa Shrine Bowl All-Star Classic. The players are selected for their talent and character, regardless of school size.

Morrison said Schoon is well deserving of these accolades, calling him a special player.

“He’s just a great kid,” Morrison added. “You don’t have to worry about him. In the classroom he’s a good student; he’s a good person. It means a lot to our program to have him represent us.”

Track and field

Morrison and Schoon spent more time together in track as Morrison coached the senior athlete in throwing.

A four-year athlete, Schoon improved greatly from year to year, ending his career as a Drake Relays and IHSAA State Meet qualifier.

Like most young athletes, his first experience with the sport came from elementary track and field day.

Once the sport began for athletes in seventh grade, he immediately was drawn to the throwing events. In high school, the young group of throwers was not doing well at meets.

“When we were younger in high school, we were going against juniors and seniors; we kept losing - Me, [Max] Chapman, Q [Fuller] and Mattias [Schultes],” Schoon said. “We would go to track meets and get killed. Maggie [Arnold] showed us that they are all juniors, they are all seniors, they put the time in, spent more time doing this than us.”

So like those upperclassmen, Schoon spent his high school years working on his craft.

“He puts the time in,” Morrison said. “Track is a specialized sport. Shot, discus, he’s done the last four years. He stuck it out and has had consistent improvement throughout the years. In the discus ring, he has been phenomenal, and that’s on him, and what he’s doing outside the normal practice time.”

Schoon’s best discus mark has improved nearly 70 feet since his freshman year, his personal best throw of 170-0 came from the Hawkeye 10 Championship Meet his senior year hosted by Creston.

Even as a much improved junior, Schoon’s best mark was just 143-02.5.

His more than 25-feet improvement his senior year opened doors for him to the Drake Relays and to the state meet, his first two times competing on that big stage.

“His maturity level, in any sport, his growth was tremendous,” Morrison said. “Qualifying for Drake is a huge honor. To be in that environment, then coming back and making the finals in the state tournament, barely missing a medal. His mindset was great. We’re going to miss him next year with the young kids.”

While the two big meets were highlights for Schoon, one of his personal favorite moments was earning his PR at home in front of his friends and family.

Basketball and baseball

No matter the level of talent, the number of starters on a basketball and baseball team are finite.

Schoon began starting some in basketball as a junior and didn’t become a baseball starter until his senior year. Yet he found ways to impact the game from the bench or dugout.

“The huge thing when you’re younger is to have energy, be loud,” Schoon said. “You’re trying to learn, see what people do, how they go about things.”

This year, Schoon started for the 11-11 Panthers basketball team that finished their season in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs, losing 65-28 to Bondurant-Farrar.

Schoon said he’s been playing basketball since kindergarten. “Just little kids basketball,” he explained. “I’ve always been the taller kid in my grade, so I’ve always played the four and the five.”

While he watched those above him, he looked up to Turner and Logan Anson. “Cael showed me the leadership side, and Logan taught me the position because he played five before me,” Schoon said.

But his dad also played a role in teaching him patience. “I just feel like kids always think they have to be the best,” Schoon said. “My dad told me sometimes you’re not going to be the best. Wait for your time to shine; wait for your opportunity. They are having their opportunity right now because this is their time to shine.”

The same lesson applied to baseball. Schoon went from the kid cheering in the dugout to the guy hitting a grand slam and leading the team in home runs.

“Brayden is a true testament of hard work and commitment,” coach Brandon Phipps said. “He has developed unbelievably from his ninth-grade year to senior year.”

Already this season, Schoon has logged 11 runs and 12 RBIs. The season has been extra special for him as he knows its his last time competing in a Panthers uniform.

“I feel like there’s kids really stepping up,” Schoon said. “I just know that I have so much pride for Creston stuff. It’s pretty hard on me. I’m already done with three other sports, so it’s like that last one right there.”

But he’s going out with a bang as an integral part of the lineup.

“Brayden has played multiple roles for us in baseball. Last year he was a spot-time outfielder and a primary baserunner,” Phipps said. “This year, he is an every day outfielder and a huge part in our lineup. He has the highest exit velocity of anyone I have coached and really turned himself into a very nice player.”

This regular season is winding down and the Panthers find themselves in the top group of Hawkeye 10 teams. When the season ends and his time is up, Schoon has parting wisdom for those who come after.

“Just take it all in; do as much as you can; try as hard as you can; focus on getting better; focus on weight room; focus on spending time with friends outside of sports, spending time outside of sports,” he listed.

College

Next year, Schoon plans to attend Iowa Western where he will study engineering and continue his athletic career in football and track and field.

The coaching staff is what drew him to the Reivers. “They’re competitive, successful and they’ve been there for a while too,” he said. “They know what they want, what players they want. They really tried to recruit me hard which is what I like.”

In track, he plans to focus on the discus but isn’t opposed to trying hammer or javelin.