Norman High School senior football player Lance Eubanks learned a lot about the game through wrestling.
I’ve been playing football since I was 5 and wrestling since I was 4,” Eubanks said. “My dad wrestled for the University of Oklahoma, so it was only natural I would wrestle. We always watched OU football growing up, and I wanted to play as soon as I was able to.”
Elton “Bo” Eubanks talked to his young son about his wrestling tradition, and he “thought it was so cool,” but otherwise he let Lance make his own path (Lance’s great grandfather, Elton Eubanks, was also a wrestler at Oklahoma).
“[My dad] always encouraged me to pursue my passion, and mine is football. He won state at 5-6, 140 lbs as a senior. I’m 6-0, 200 lbs and while I enjoy wrestling, I enjoy football more,” Eubanks said.
He’s particularly a fan of the contact of football, but more importantly, “playing as a team and working together to win.” That said, his work on the mat has transitioned nicely onto the gridiron.
“Wrestling has helped me physically and mentally on the field. Even though football is a team sport, I still have to make sure I do my job as an individual. In wrestling, sure, you have your teammates there for practice and encouragement, but on the mat it’s just me,” Eubanks said. “That prepares me mentally to make sure that I take care of my assignments on the field. Physically, there’s no one more in shape than a wrestler. Wrestling is go, go, go all the time ‘till the match is finished. Endurance is key. This is why I feel wrestling helps me stay 100% all the way to the end of the fourth quarter.”
Eubanks aspires to be a teammate “who is reliable, does his job and who will be there to back up his teammates.”
“I’m working every day to improve for my team, my school and myself,” Eubanks said. “I do this because my sights are set on the next level. My 100% today is better than my 100% yesterday.”
Eubanks is pursuing his football-playing career at a school where he can get a solid education.
“Division doesn’t matter to me,” Eubanks said. “Education is my first priority and playing football is just the icing on the cake.
