Despite his intimidating appearance, junior Brandon Ward is a friendly face for fellow students of Melissa High School. Ward recently finished his third season of playing high school football and is currently involved in powerlifting in the off-season.

“Powerlifting makes you stronger, so in football, you can bring over the strength,” Ward said in response to being asked whether football and powerlifting correlate.

Brandon plays the guard position in football and was promoted to varsity his sophomore year. Ward is a force to be reckoned with as he is 6’2″ and weighs 315 pounds according to MaxPreps. Unfortunately, his postseason ended on Dec. 3, 2021, as the Cardinals lost to Stephenville, 24-21, but Stephenville did go on to become the 4A Division 1 State Champs.

Brandon has seen great success in past seasons of powerlifting. As a freshman, he broke the school record for back squat with a total of 600 pounds. According to the Texas High School Powerlifting Association, Ward is currently in the super heavyweight group, also known as SHW, and is ranked first in the region.

“I just think about getting the weight up and not dropping it,” Ward said. When asked whether he wishes to pursue a career in either football or powerlifting, Brandon said: “Yeah, I have thought about it because I love both sports so if I get an opportunity, I will be excited.”

Ward recently placed second in his weight division at a Prosper Invitational meet with a total weight of 1,480 pounds. He weighed into the meet at 310 pounds, recording a score of 680 pounds for squat, 320 pounds for bench press, and 480 pounds for deadlift.

Ward did confirm that he has been in contact with colleges with a simple “yes,” however, he did not provide any further information. Nevertheless, Ward remains confident in his ability and is determined to “beat the state record” this season.