Pecos graduating senior Randall Wilson is all about staying focused on the task at hand in anything that he does. He did plenty of that in the classroom and on the football field, basketball court and on the track.
That determination played a key part in helping Wilson finish as the salutatorian in his class of 163 graduates.
“I just mostly tried to stay focused and not get distracted to maintain what I have,” Wilson said. “I just tried to keep my stress level low and stay calm.”
Wilson did that as a key member of the Eagles’ football team, where he was a first-team all-district selection each of the last two seasons. He mostly lined up at cornerback, but was asked to step up on offense his last year as the Eagles were battling injuries.
“I just knew that I had to step up for our team,” he said. “I had to help the team win and that’s all I was trying to do.”
In addition to football, Wilson also played on the basketball team and ran the 400, 800 and 1,600-meter relays during track season for the Eagles.
Head coach Chad Olson said that he was really impressed with how Wilson stepped up and those moments were part of a process of the standard that he tries to implement in his program.
“He’s a competitor on the field, in the weight room and in the classroom,” Olson said. “He’s just a competitor all the time.”
Olson added that he was more impressed by Wilson’s academic accolades, saying that he may be the first student-athlete that he’s coached to be a first team academic all-state selection in three different sports.
“Our motto is show up and be Eagles and he epitomizes that,” Olson said. “He works hard, shows up and does exactly what we want him to do. He’s not the most vocal leader but he’s going to be doing right every time.”
Doing right in the classroom is something that’s even more important to Wilson. Off the field, Wilson was also a member of the National Honor Society as well as the Mu Alpha Theta Club. He was also recognized as a nominee for the Pecos Chamber of Commerce Student of the Year.
On top of that, he recently graduated with his associate’s degree from Odessa College while completing his high school studies. It’s a lot to try and balance, but Wilson says it’s just a part of who he’s always been.
“I’m more of a lead by example kind of guy,” he said. “I just wanted to work hard and let my actions speak louder than my words.”
All that hard work is starting to pay off as he continues his education at Texas Tech. Wilson says he plans to study biology with hopes of attending medical school to eventually become an orthopedic surgeon.
He added that his time in athletics played an integral part in his major choice and that becoming a Red Raider was the right move for him as he heads in to the next chapter of his life.
“It just sounded really cool,” he said. “I want to be able to help people and being around athletics and seeing people go through that, whether it was treating injuries or anything like that, that’s what really sparked my interest.”
Olson is confident that Wilson will be successful in whatever he decides to do and that his efforts during his time at Pecos will go a long way toward achieving his goals.
“I don’t think he missed a day of school in his academic career,” he said. “He doesn’t miss practices or summer workouts. He’s just solid.”
>> Follow Tony Venegas on Twitter at @OA_TVenegas
RANDALL WILSON
PECOS
>> Academic Rank: 2 out of 163
>> Sports: Football; Basketball; Track
>> Academic bio: National Honor Society; Mu Alpha Theta Club; Pecos Chamber of Commerce Student of the Year Nominee; 3.97 GPA
>> Athletic bio: 2019 First Team All-District; 2020 Second Team All-District
>> College and major: Texas Tech; Biology
>> Goals for the future: Become a certified orthopedic surgeon
>> Favorite subject: Science
>> Favorite book: Jurassic Park
>> Favorite musician: Lil Uzi Vert
>> Role model: My father
