THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Odessa High School Athletics

Colt Beard sat in the home dugout at Pressly Field on a school day in early May, just a few days after his baseball season came to an end, and a few weeks before his graduation. His time on that field had just ended, just as his time on the football practice field out back had ended — and just as his time on the adjoining campus at Odessa High was coming to a close. It was all wrapping up quickly, but as Beard sat in the dugout that afternoon, he said he didn’t have any regrets. After all, through all that time on campus, he had kept himself plenty busy. “I got to do everything I wanted,” he said. Beard excelled on the football field, the baseball diamond and in the classroom during his years at Odessa High — and he was ultimately chosen by Odessa High officials to represent the school in the Odessa American’s Scholar Athletes special section. Beard started at safety for the Bronchos football team last fall, before playing outfield for the Bronchos baseball team this spring. He is a member of the National Honor Society and a member of Texas Scholars. For Beard, balancing varsity duties on two separate teams while reaching for excellence in the classroom was a bit of a juggling act — but it’s a task he’s glad he took on. “It was fun,” Beard said of playing both football and baseball. “It’s the stuff that I’ve done basically forever. To be able to do it at this level is pretty great. “Not many people have the opportunity to do both.” Not many — but Beard managed it, all while staying ahead with his studies. “I just can’t say enough about him, as far as what he does as an athlete and academically,” Odessa High head football coach and campus athletics coordinator Danny Servance said. Beard played varsity football for three years, the final one under Servance and his first-year staff last fall. Beard played baseball for the school through his freshman and sophomore seasons, before playing on the varsity under Bronchos head coach Josh Hulin for a senior campaign this spring. “He’s just worked extremely hard in the classroom and on the field to achieve the things that he’s done,” Hulin said. “It’s pretty impressive for him. “He played varsity football for three years, and then being a varsity baseball player this year — I think being able to juggle academics and athletics is extremely tough.” While it’s difficult to find that balance, Servance and Hulin both agreed that, in knowing who Beard is and how he carries himself, it’s easy to see how Beard found that balance. “He’s got all the leadership qualities that you want in a young man,” Servance said. “He’s self-motivated, and he takes the initiative to do the things that need to be done on a day-to-day basis. “He’s the kind of kid that you really don’t have to tell what needs to be done. He will make sure that it’s getting done, for sure.” Beard said that cross-training both sports helped him as an athlete — and that the discipline he honed on both the football field and the baseball field helped him achieve in the classroom. “Coaches on both sides understood why I needed to be with the other one, and really, working on both benefited me,” Beard said. “Strength and conditioning and everything together obviously benefited a lot in football — and the mentality helps a lot in baseball. “I do (schoolwork) first, and then after that, showing up to the other stuff and doing the best I can — that’s the easy part,” he added. “In school, it’s hard to push sometimes, but the coaches help a lot with that, too, with discipline stuff.” Servance has said since the fall that Beard was instrumental for the Bronchos in the defensive backfield. Like an extension of the coaching staff on the field, Beard was able to make sure teammates were in the right positions and making the right reads before each snap of the ball. Hulin saw that same studious nature shine through on the baseball diamond. “You love having a well-rounded young man in your program,” Hulin said. “For Colt, all that stuff kind of goes together — his athletics and his academics — because he is one of the smartest baseball players that I’ve ever coached. He knows the game. “He understands the situations. His academics and athletics just kind of mesh together.” Hulin would know. He also taught Beard in an elective class. “In the classroom, he’s just a very studious kid,” Hulin said. “He doesn’t joke around. He’s serious about his academics. He’s just a great student — not afraid to ask a question. He’s one of the best I’ve had.” It comes as no surprise to Servance that Beard has been able to carry over those same attributes he shows on the field into his studies. “He takes those same characteristics that he uses in athletics as a leader, and he’s always on top of things in the classroom,” Servance said. “Part of being a good student-athlete is balancing both your academics and what you do athletically, and in order to do that, you have to be well-organized. “I think Colt is a guy that has great organizational skills,

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Odessa High School Athletics

BEARD EXCELS ON THE FIELD AND IN THE CLASS

JUSTIN LEE

OA Online | 5/21/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Mark Sterkel