Joel Branson is getting ready to make a move in the right direction.
But before moving to Kenosha, WI.,to attend Carthage College to continue his academic, soccer and track careers, he first needs to finish his track career and receive his diploma from St. Joseph-Ogden High School.
Branson’s childhood was filled with many opportunities both on the field and on the track that put him in a position to sign with Carthage.
“I don’t think I’d be doing very well at all if I didn’t have my family behind me the whole way,” he said.
“From a soccer standpoint, my parents are always pushing me to do big stuff. They always make me the best person I can be. They are always giving me the opportunity to get better; and I take that up and that’s why I am where I am.”
Branson ended his varsity high school soccer career at SJ-O having played 62 games as goalie with nine shutouts, 16 wins, 22 losses and 7 ties.
From recreational soccer, to the St. Joseph Futbol Club before moving onto the Illinois Futbol Club and the Bloomington Fire, Branson said that soccer is about the team concept.
“Even as you get older, it becomes more of a team sport,” he said.
Over the last four years, Branson has figured out that he is a competitive soul.
“While sometimes that can be an issue between me and my teammates, I want to push everyone to be better because I want to be better and I want to win,” Branson said. “I’m very driven in that sense.”
As the goalkeeper, Branson felt like he shouldered a lot of responsibility for the team, but that is also something that he learned to use as a motivator.
“It’s something I’ve come to love a lot, too,” he said.
“It’s my passion. It’s a really important position in the game, but it also helps you stand out, too. You don’t really have the same job as everyone else on the field. You have a little more responsibility.”
During the spring months, Branson spends time doing the other activity he loves: running.
“Running in general has always been my second passion,” he said. “It always keeps me in shape, that’s another thing for me to be competitive in.
“It’s very individualized in comparison to soccer. It’s a new challenge for me.”
A 400-meter, 200-meter and 100-meter sprinter, Branson also tackles the 4×100-meter relay and the 4×400-meter relay with his teammates.
As a junior, Branson climbed up the ladder on the SJ-O track and field all-time records list and ranks second in the 100 meters at 11.19 seconds, 10th in the 200 meters at 20.46 seconds and second in the 4×100 relay with teammates Dwight Colvin, Brady Buss and Riley Baker at 43.97 seconds.
As a member of the Carthage track and field program, Branson hopes to continue his success on the track, but may also try the long jump. To prepare, the senior is currently training at SJ-O.
The Carthage camaraderie and excellence both on and off the field is what drew Branson to the school, which sits along Lake Michigan.
“Coach Delman (soccer) is amazing,” Branson said. “He’s a very nice guy, an organized guy who really just wants to see the best for his players. That was very appealing to me.
“(My track teammates) seem to be a bunch of amazing people who want the best for me, as well.
“My coaches are going to be great and helpful. We just want to go have fun and win some meets and games.”
Although undecided, Branson plans to major in business or economics while at Carthage.
“This will give me the opportunity to go do big things in life,” he said.
