ARCHBOLD, Ohio — The journey of a multi-sport athlete will continue for one Archbold High School graduate. Krayton Kern is signed to play both football and baseball for Adrian College next year.
"From the moment I stepped on campus, it just felt like home," Kern said. "There's just a feeling you get when you step on a campus you like. Coaches were really welcoming, it just fit me really well, I thought."
The former Blue Streak originally committed to continuing his career on the diamond in December of his senior season, but just a month later found out he could double up as a Bulldog by stepping onto the gridiron in the fall.
"It's just really cool to be able to do both," Kern said.
The dual-sport career ahead of him is more impressive given that he's only played football since 2020. He's played baseball for much of his life, he said.
"My sophomore year, I picked up football for the first time ever," Kern said. "I started kicking and my coach texted me to come out. Here we are, and I guess I'm good enough to play at the next level. It just so happened that it fit to play football and baseball together, so that's what we'll be doing at the next level."
Coming off a campaign in which he earned All-State honors in soccer, football and baseball to cap his high school career, Kern is no stranger to success on multiple fronts.
"I think it'll be a good switch, not just one thing the whole time," Kern said. "It will be good to play two different sports and just alternate between the two."
His decision now affects how the summer will play out, though. Typically, Kern would be competing in the offseason but has chosen to focus on building muscle instead.
"It's tough, after a lot of thinking I decided not to play summer baseball and focus on strength training," Kern said. "Getting repetitions for football and baseball. Using the summer to get repetitions, that's pretty much it."
Stepping into unfamiliar territory is common for any incoming freshman, but fortunately, some Archbold baseball alumni have helped provide a solid path. Jeron Williams (class of 2019) won MAC Player of the Year as a junior for the University of Toledo, while DJ Newman (class of 2022) secured MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year for Bowling Green State University.
Kern's older brother, Kade, just wrapped up his junior season of baseball at Ohio State University.
"It feels good to do that, it feels good to play at the next level and keep the Archbold tradition going," Kern said. "It's also nice to have some guys I can ask questions to like my brother, DJ and Jeron are all nice resources."
The 40-mile drive north certainly played a big part in Kern's recruiting. His ability to stay close to home allows for continued community connection after making memories throughout this young career.
"My biggest takeaway from Archbold is just having a good time with my teammates, honestly," Kern said. "We were always pushing each other to do better at practice and they're just a good culture at practice."