Fans of Prince Edward County High School varsity football grew accustomed to the image of a tall, confident man behind center, who began to establish himself last season. Senior Zion Lewis made a big impact on the gridiron for the Eagles.

He got his start in football in youth leagues, but he said he doesn’t remember much from that time. His earliest memories are from middle school football.

“The coach was asking the positions that we’ve played before, and I remember naming everything except quarterback,” he said. “And that’s when he was like, ‘Well, guess what? You’re going to start playing quarterback.’ And then that’s just how it happened, and I just started playing ever since then.”

Lewis said he gained some limited varsity experience as a freshman and sophomore, but he officially became a varsity player as a junior in 2016. During that season he split time at the quarterback position.

“This year was when I was officially named starting quarterback,” he said.

Football means a great deal to him, personally.

“It definitely built me into the man I am today,” he said. “Football really builds character, and that’s one thing it really did. It teaches you responsibility, and it teaches you how to trust one another.”

He has experience playing basketball, baseball and indoor track, but football is definitely his favorite sport.

“I think it’s the most competitive sport,” he said. “… It shows who really has heart and who really has the desire to win.”

Motivating him to give his all each time he went out on the gridiron were younger players who looked up to him.

“Every Friday night, I had no choice but to play really well because I knew who was looking up to me,” he said.

He aims to continue playing football in college and is going Saturday for his first college visit since the conclusion of the high school season.

When it comes to academics, “I want to major in business management,” he said. “I’ve always had this dream when I was a little kid of owning all the McDonald’s in the world, but I want to major in business management and minor in business marketing.”

Eagles Head Coach James Ford noted Lewis is well-liked at school, and Zion described his own personality as “different in a good way. I’m not one of those kids who just walks around all sad all day. I chill. Some people say I bring the sunlight to the room. I’m just … outgoing, funny, (I) just try to stay positive at all times. … I guess I’ll be remembered as just a fun kid who loved football.”