Battle ready for Dec. 15 bowl game
HARVEST – Blake Battle said he’s more than ready for what he called, “A chance of a lifetime,” as the senior at Sparkman High is set to play in the 2025 Blue-Grey All-American Bowl in Arlington, Texas on Dec. 15.
“I have kept my body in shape through workouts twice-a-day, some of which have included help from my dad,” said Battle, whose father, Benjamin Battle, has taken the time to assist in Battle’s trip to the Lone Star State. “After school, I work through different football skills including a tackling dummy that my dad helps me with.”
The morning physical conditioning for the Sparkman High linebacker, who had 147 tackles on the team’s 5-6 season, which included a 43-13 loss to Daphne in round-one of the AHSAA Playoffs, includes a 6:00 a.m. wakeup call, hitting Chuck’s Gym, located just five minutes from his home, at 6:30 a.m. before concluding with a 7:00 a.m. run and cardio workout before he makes his to hall of one of the largest high schools in Alabama.
“My preparation includes a correct diet where I eat three times a day,” said Battle, who stands 6-foot and weighs in at 200-pounds. “I eat lots of eggs and cottage cheese for breakfast, good protein like steak tips for lunch and maybe fish like salmon for dinner to complete my day.”
Though the team’s overall success could have been better, Battle had another outstanding season where he had 147 tackles, 59 of which were solo stops. Those statistics were tops in Class 7A Region 4, second among the Class 7A schools across Alabama and placed him No. 17 in the entire state of all classifications.
His parents are fitting the bill for the trip to Arlington, Texas where the All-Star Game will be played at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium with kickoff at noon and broadcast on ESPN3, but Battle has taken it upon himself to work some part-time hours to help with the special trip. He’s working as a cashier at Slim Pickens at Clift Farms where he’s committed to save half of his pay for the travels to Texas. His parents, Benjamin Battle and Trakeeta Winn and his 15-year old sister, Christian, who is a competition cheerleader at Sparkman, will also accompany Battle for what he hopes will be a successful final chance to impress college scouts, though he has said he will be attending Alabama A&M next year to study forestry.
