ODA senior linebacker does a bit of everything for Thunder football

His hair isn’t quite Swiss Army Knife red, but it’s close.

It makes sense, too, because Out-of-Door Academy's senior football captain, McCabe Ballance, can do just as many things on the field as that utility knife.

Primarily a linebacker and a slot, Ballance has been used in the slot as a hybrid wide receiver/tight end when the offense needs some muscle. In the past, he has played on the defensive line, as a safety and on the offensive line. Against St. Stephen’s on Oct. 8, he also threw a pass on a fake punt (that was completed for a first down) and lined up as a deep return man on a late kickoff.

ODA coach Ken Sommers has faith in Ballance to accomplished whatever is asked of him. Sommers called Ballance extremely coachable and a leader. For evidence, look no further than last season’s game against Jordan Christian.

The Thunder were outmatched by the Seahawks, but it didn't deter Ballance, who played with fire, Sommers said, and was constantly in the backfield disrupting plays. In a losing effort, Ballance played like a champion. His teammates took notice.

This season, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Ballance has become a fearsome edge rusher and has given the Thunder offense an improved blocking presence from the slot.  

Ballance’s favorite on-field memory stems from a game last season against St. Pete Catholic. The Thunder were down 19 points heading into the fourth quarter, but tbey rallied to send the game into overtime. St. Pete faced a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line on its first overtime possession and ODA held with Ballance recording the tackle. The Thunder scored on their first play of overtime.

The Thunder know they can depend on Ballance. In the fourth quarter of a game against St. Stephen's this season, Ballance came to the sideline after helping his team score, threw up in a trash can and sprinted back on the field to play defense.

Although he is a multi-purpose player, Ballance said he feels most at home on defense. He finds it more natural, and there’s something about hitting that makes him feel alive. A couple of his favorite NFL players are Navorro Bowman of the San Francisco 49ers and Von Miller of the Denver Broncos, because of their tenacity.

Besides his exploits on the field, Ballance wants to major in political science in college in the hopes of working in a public service job or as a political analyst. A self-proclaimed “politics nerd,” he loves debates.

He’s jumping on that dream early as the school president. With a solid GPA and a stellar resume of extracurriculars, Ballance is facing a choice, whether to play football at Division III colleges like Colby or Middlebury, or put all his efffort into academics and head off to a bigger school like American University.

Whatever he decides, his coach is behind him 100 percent.

“He’s the personification of what an Out-of-Door student-athlete should be,” Sommers said.