Photo by Erin Nelson.
Homewood’s Brian Condon (4) moves to tag Mountain Brook’s Ford Moffatt (11) as Moffatt scores in an area game April 14 at Spartan Field.
Versatility is a trait that sets people up for success in many walks of life.
Most people that would be described as versatile possess a few unique skill sets that will serve them well over the course of their careers or other activities.
But Homewood High School senior Brian Condon takes the term versatile to a different level, which is why head baseball coach Lee Hall calls him a Swiss Army knife.
“Brian is the poster child of what a Homewood kid should be,” Hall said.
Condon has certainly made the most of his senior year. He has played football, baseball and soccer and been involved with the school’s show choir. He also played basketball through his sophomore year.
But he’s not only versatile in the fact that he participates in many different activities. He has a history of helping his team in multiple ways within a given season as well.
In the fall, Condon made a return to the football field after taking a year off from the sport. He prioritized his academics in his junior year, forcing him to make some tough choices regarding which extracurricular activities to give up for the time being.
After playing quarterback for much of his football days, he returned to the practice field as a senior with a different idea in mind: to play defense.
“I wanted to try defense,” he said. “I played corner in the spring but didn’t know how much playing time I was going to get.”
Condon became a key player for Homewood’s secondary and even handled some of the kickoff duties after a few injuries forced the Patriots to find someone else. No, he had never done that either.
“It was weird,” he said. “I didn’t think any of that was going to happen.”
It’s not like Condon blends into the back row either with the show choir. He can typically be found on the front row and is one of the group’s captains as well.
In the early days of spring, Condon was in the early days of a baseball season, preparing for show choir competitions, and somehow finding a way to play in a couple games for the soccer team, which is the reigning state champion.
This spring, Condon has served as Homewood’s primary catcher but has also chipped in in other ways. The day following catching both ends of a doubleheader, he got the call to start on the mound against Spain Park.
“He’s a great leader — a quiet leader, but a great leader,” Hall said. “I told him I don’t know if we show him the kind of respect that we should … We haven’t had many guys that can do all the different things that he can. He’s a great testament to what Homewood High School is.”
When asked how he is able to excel at so many different things, it’s clear Condon has not given the idea much thought. He’s probably too busy running to the next class or practice or game.
“It’s his makeup,” Hall said. “He doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low, doesn’t get stressed. He’s not a pleaser; he just goes out and does his job.”
With the baseball season concluded, Condon’s plan was to join the soccer team full-time for the playoff run. Beyond that, he was still trying to decide on his future plans.
