photo by: Contributed Photo

Gunnar Ball

For his entire time at Perry-Lecompton High School, Gunnar Ball was a jack of all athletic trades, regularly found working his tail off on the gridiron, hardwood, diamond and track.

But when he heads to Washburn University to study business in the fall, he won’t be playing four different sports for the Ichabods. In fact, except for intramural activities, he won’t be playing any sports at all.

“It’s definitely weird,” Ball said. “I’ve done four sports all throughout high school, and it’s going to be weird not doing one in college.

“I’m going to miss it a lot,” he said. “I’ll miss my friends more than anything.”

This past school year, Ball played a key role in all four of his sports.

In his senior season at quarterback, he threw for 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns, despite playing in only seven games due to a hand injury. He was named to the Journal-World’s All-Area football team for his performance.

Then, on the basketball court, he averaged 16.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.

And in the spring, Ball capped off his high school career with commendable seasons in baseball and track. The three-time All-Area athlete finished the year batting .514 with 29 total RBIs and then helped the Kaws’ 4×400 relay team take seventh at the state track championships in Wichita. Sports in Kansas also selected Ball as an All-State First Team outfielder earlier this week.

But Ball said the individual accolades and hardware are the last reason any student should sign up for their high school’s sports teams.

“Having the responsibility to show up for all the practices, it’s different having to work for each one,” Ball said.

That’s especially important for someone like Ball who’s looking to succeed in the business world.

“I think having a hand in each area, or every sport, is a good thing because it’s like life,” he said. “I want to do a lot of different things. I want to own a business one day and I want to have my hand in a lot of different businesses, working as an entrepreneur, so having knowledge in different areas is good for anyone.”

So, what kind of ventures does Ball have in mind? He provided few details when discussing ideas for a business of his own, but he and a couple of other Perry-Lecompton graduates have their eyes fixed on a specific industry — shoes.

Until his business dreams become reality, Ball said he’ll be returning home often and even hopes to find himself in a coaching role one day.

“We had a good group of senior boys,” Ball said. “We loved hanging out with the younger kids and I thought we treated them pretty well, but you’d have to ask them.”

Ball knows that having a great coach can make all the difference for players. He saw that while playing for the Kaws’ baseball coach, Kent Houk, who he said is “an outstanding coach, and we loved playing for him.”

“That’s half the battle — getting your players to want to play for you,” Ball said. “I’ve enjoyed every second of it.”