Athlete Profile: Logan Balliett

Senior quarterback guides Witt-Birn to strong start

Athlete: Logan Balliett

Sport: Football

Positions: Quarterback, safety

School: Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School

Year: Senior

WITTENBERG — The Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School football team had lofty expectations heading into the season, and behind senior leader Logan Balliett, the team is off to a 2-1 start.

Balliett, who is the team’s quarterback while playing safety on defense, guided the team to a 34-0 victory over Northland Pines in week one. He tossed a touchdown to Simon Stewart for one of the team’s five scores.

In the Chargers lopsided 49-6 win over Crandon in week two, Balliett accounted for three touchdowns. He threw two touchdowns while rushing for 95 yards and another score.

Q: When did your interest in football begin?

A: I have always loved watching and playing football. I spent a lot of my childhood playing catch with my dad (Mike), or tackle football in my yard with friends.

Q: What is your favorite part about the football season?

A: My favorite part of the football season is once we get into conference play. Every Friday is a new challenge and every game feels like a big game.

Q: After a tough 2018 season, a fast start to the season is something I’m sure the team wanted to get off to. So how has the team been able to start the year fast with a couple of nonconference wins?

A: Our early success has been largely due to the offseason work we put in. This summer we were able to get great commitment to the weight room and it is definitely paying off on the field.

Q: As your team transitions into the conference portion of the schedule, what does the team need to keep doing well?

A: We just need to keep doing what we’re doing, and continue to put in the work. As long as we stay focused we will be fine.

Q: As a quarterback, you have the ball in your hands on every offensive play and are tasked with taking care of the ball and limiting turnovers. How do you deal with that pressure each week?

A: I can handle the pressure because the rest of the team helps take it off me. When everyone else is playing well and doing their job, there isn’t much pressure on me.

Q: What’s your favorite memory of competing on the Wittenberg-Birnamwood football team?

A: My favorite memory of playing high school football was my sophomore year when we clinched a playoff berth. It meant a lot because it had been the first time we made the playoffs in a long time.

Q: What are you going to miss most about high school football?

A: The thing that I am going to miss the most is getting to play football with my classmates. Some of us have been playing together since third grade and it will be hard to see those good times go.

Q: What is your favorite thing to do when you are not in school or competing in a high school sport?

A: My favorite thing to do outside of the sports I play is downhill skiing. It’s something fun that can take my head off of my other responsibilities.

Q: Favorite TV show and movie?

A: Favorite TV show — “The Office.” Favorite movie — “The Martian.”

Q: Name one thing about yourself that not many people know.

A: One thing about me that not many people know is that I am a bear hunter.

Q: What’s the greatest piece of advice you have ever been told?

A: “Don’t think, know.”

Q: What are some things you hope to accomplish after graduating high school?

A: After high school, I hope to go on to college and earn a degree in engineering.