As he prepares for the next round of the playoffs in multiple sports, Kameron Brown displays his Region 1B Male Player of the Year Award. Pictured here are, from left, Cumberland High Track Head Coach Kenneth Jasey, Assistant Coach Terrell Eppes, Kameron Brown and Associate Head Coach Tim Crossin.

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Kameron Brown can’t quite remember the first year he suited up for multiple sports. Maybe it was sixth grade? Or was it seventh? It’s a lot of work, the Cumberland High senior doesn’t deny that. He’s competing for regional and state titles in two sports, training in a third and making sure to fit in time for classwork and family. But nothing worth doing was ever easy. And Brown is learning from each sport, picking up lessons that will help achieve his goals. 

So let’s go over the story so far. Less than two weeks ago, Kameron was named Region 1B Track & Field Male Athlete of the Year, securing a spot at the state competition after a first place finish in the triple jump, first place in the 55 meter run, second place in the high and long jumps and a third place in the pole vault. Then one day later, he helped Cumberland High’s boys basketball team make a bit of history, winning the district championship for the first time in more than 20 years.

Oh and even though his football career at Cumberland ended one year early, due to the school eliminating its varsity team, Kameron is attending football camps to further develop his skills. There are already multiple offers to play college football, but he wants to make sure he chooses the best fit and that he’s prepared for the faster college game. 

“It’s about dedication,” Kameron said. “I’m dedicated to getting the job done.” 

Kameron Brown focuses on his goals 

 Dedication is a word you’ll hear often associated with Kameron. It’s how his coaches describe everything from his work ethic to his goals for the future. He wasn’t able to play football for his senior year, since the district shut down the varsity team, due to a lack of players above the freshman class. But that didn’t stop him from working on his skills and trying to get in front of college scouts. 

“I’ve been going to football camps, to keep my body in the mindset,” Kameron said. “Despite not having a team, it’s not going to stop me pursuing the sport I love.” 

And that is his goal. Kameron Brown wants to play Division I football. The former Cumberland quarterback and free safety has loved football since before middle school, since the days he would watch it at home on the tv and say, one day I’ll be on that field. Kameron’s loved it since the first day he convinced his mother to let him attend tryouts and even after tearing his ACL ligament in middle school, having to sit out for a season. And finding something to be more of a challenge isn’t a problem. It’s what he’s used to. 

“Kam is a charismatic young man with natural leadership skills. From the first year I coached him, I could tell he had the potential to be a leader—not just for our football team, but for our entire school,” Cumberland High Football Coach Josh Fleenor said. He coached Kameron for several years, before the district shut down the varsity program for this year. 

“Even during tough losses, Kam was always the one cheering on his teammates. Every time I looked around, there he was, keeping their heads in the game,” Fleenor added. “Win or lose, he consistently showed gratitude for the opportunity to play, for his teammates, and for his coaches.” 

Using sports as a way to train 

The way Kameron saw it, if he couldn’t compete on the football field, he would work on his skills in different ways. That’s part of why he joined up with basketball and track, competing and practicing in both sports to help him hone the skills he had and learn to develop new ones. 

“Running track and playing basketball have helped me maintain my core, but more than that, track is an individual sport, so it makes me disciplined,” Kameron said. “When you run, you need to have the momentum. I feed off energy. So ok, I can use that.” 

But what about times when he’s not the main focus? That’s what basketball is for. Kameron’s not the top scorer or assist leader, but he is a solid defender. 

“In basketball, it’s a team sport, so you have to play a role,” Kameron said. “It helps remind me that we have roles, we have assignments and to focus on them in any situation.” 

When it comes to playing multiple sports, Kameron is also looking at the future. According to a 2024 Samford University study, in the 2022 NFL Draft, 233 of the 262 players drafted participated in multiple sports in high school, while only 29 solely played football. Nearly 45% of the draftees played three or more sports in high school.

Cumberland High track coach Kenneth Jasey said focusing on one sport, pushing high schoolers to specialize so early, is more damaging than some parents realize. 

“You don’t want to pigeonhole them. What ends up happening, if they’re stuck in one particular sport, they’re not exercising all of their different muscle groups,” Jasey said. “Being in just one sport can lead to injuries, with overuse of a certain muscle or tendon too often. It is a great thing for them to be versatile. That’s what colleges and even the professionals like to see.” 

His comments are echoed in that 2024 Samford study, which adds beyond the physical concerns, overdoing it with one sport can also cause mental burnout. 

“The time spent focusing on a specific skillset can actually hinder an athlete’s overall development instead of shooting them to superstardom,” the report stated. “Specializing also poses a higher risk for overuse injuries and burnout.” 

A wider range of skills

And so, more and more students are taking a page from Kameron’s playbook. They’re using different sports year round to develop a wider range of skills, while also enjoying what comes along the way. For example, Cumberland’s win in the district championship game allowed Kameron Brown and his teammates to see how much something like that meant to their community. 

“It’s been 22 years since Cumberland’s basketball team has won anything for the district, so to be able to go out and do that? That was special,” Kameron said. 

As for the future, regional basketball playoffs arrive this week and then the state track championship will take place the first week of March, Beyond that? There are multiple college football offers already in, including some Division 1 schools, to consider. 

“The work’s not done,” Kameron Brown said. “There’s still a lot to finish. And I want to finish strong.”