Rhyan Vinson is an 11th-grade student at Granite Hills High School and is the starting quarterback for the varsity football team.
He was born and raised in Tulare, moved to Terra Bella in his 7th-grade year, and is now a Granite Hills student-athlete.
Vinson has been playing football since he was five years old, and he’s always been passionate about the sport.
A lot of preparation goes into getting ready for a football game, especially on game day, so here is a look at a day in the life of Vinson.
Vinson starts his day by waking up at 5 a.m. From the moment he wakes up, he makes scrambled eggs with bacon bites and his protein shake on the side. His protein shake consists of banana, strawberries, peanut butter, milk, and his protein powder. After his breakfast, he brushes his teeth, showers, gets ready for the day, and packs his football gear for the game.
After he completes his morning routine, his parent brings him to school around 7 a.m. because he has a zero period. His zero and first periods are weight training, but for game days, he has a free day, so during that time, he either ices his body or he’ll do bench press with a 45-pound plate on each side. Throughout his school day, he does his usual balance of being academic and accomplishing any work during class time before school ends. If he doesn’t have any work in any of his classes, he uses that time to watch film on the opponent.
After school, Vinson gets his football equipment. During an away game, he gets on the bus. He likes to ease his mind and listen to music, he visualizes plays, has mental reps, and thinks about any different situation that can happen during the game. His favorite music artist is Sleepy Hallo.
He starts getting an eager feeling to play the game once he sees the field. Before the game begins, Vinson stretches with his team, works on offense individually, loosens up his rotator cuff, practices a 3-step drop, practices throwing to wide receivers, and warms up his arm by doing extensions with Angel Hinojosa.
When the game finishes, Vinson joins a huddle to talk with the players, whether they win or lose.
At away games, Vinson usually gets home after 11 p.m., but at home games, he gets home after 10 p.m.
Vinson’s family supports him during his games, so he leaves with them after the games. On the way home, he tries to forget any tough moments or plays that occurred during the game. Once he gets home, he stretches out his body and ices his knees and shoulders. Vinson then showers, brushes his teeth, and goes to sleep.
If he has any assignments to finish, he’ll remind himself to finish them the next morning.
Vinson has helped the Grizzlies start the season with a 1-1 record. They will play their first home game against Mira Monte at 7:15 p.m. on Sept. 12.
