MISHAWAKA - Midway through September, the Penn Kingsmen took over the #1 spot in the Indiana State Class 5A Polls! The Kingsmen have beaten some of the top teams in the region along the way ... and a major reason for their success has been the play of senior quarterback Jared Melander.

Melander has helped the Kingsmen get off to an unbeaten start. But when it comes to being a student athlete, how does he juggle it all?

“My parents are always there pushing me to be my best,” says Jared. “I have to balance between football and school, and I just do my best to equally balance and work hard in school to make sure I can try to get as much homework done before nighttime, knowing that I won’t have much time after practice.”

As a captain, the coaching staff looks to Jared to be a role model to the rest of the team.

“He’s a great person off the field,” says Penn head coach Cory Yeoman. “He’s a great student and a great athlete. You know what? I don’t think he has an enemy at Penn High School. Everybody really cares about him because he cares about others.”

Jared holds a 3.3 grade point average and works hard to continue his winning ways both on and off the field.

“Every day I try my best during the school days, and work really hard in the classroom to be my best that I can be in the classroom, and it’s a real honor to win this award,” says Jared.

Congratulations to Jared Melander, the WSBT/Burger King Outstanding Student Athlete of the Week!