FANTASTIC FIFTEEN: Deerfield-Windsor’s Boles Middleton excels in three sports

This is the ninth installment of a series highlighting some of the top high school football players in Albany and Lee County. In the past, it has been the “Dynamite Dozen” but this season it will be the “Fantastic Fifteen.”

ALBANY — Deerfield-Windsor head football coach Jake McCrae is really high on his senior class this season and one reason why is senior Boles Middleton.

“Since I have been at Deerfield-Windsor, I have seen more growth out of Boles since his sophomore year than any of the other guys,” said McCrae, “He is an incredibly physical player and a force to be reckoned with. He is an excellent athlete and he plays really, really smart. And I want him on my team when we play golf.”

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, Boles plays both ways on the football field — wide receiver and free safety. However, football was not his first love — that was golf. But neither golf nor football will likely see him competing at the college level. That would be another one of his sports — track and field.

He finished second in the state as a junior in the GHSA Class A Private classification with a personal record in the 110-meter hurdles in a time of 15.47 seconds. He also finished 10th in the state in the 300-meter hurdles, fourth in the triple jump, and second as part of the 1,600 relay. However, Boles doesn’t know if he will compete at the college level.

“I would love to compete in college,” the senior said. “But right now, my time is not fast enough to get the offers to compete at the colleges where I want to be. If my time gets better this year and I get those offers, then yes, I would love to compete in college.”

He has been a student at Deerfield-Windsor since K4 and he hasn’t nailed down one college for sure, but he said he would like to go to either the University of North Carolina or the University of Georgia. He is not certain about his career choice but both his parents are lawyers, and he has an eye on the medical field.

Boles, the son of Faison and Kari Middleton, began playing football at age 7. He has maintained a 4.0 GPA heading into his senior year and mathematics is his favorite subject in school. Still, it is his desire to win that keeps him motivated.

“I really like to win,” he said. “I don’t like to sit still. I like to put in extra work in each sport and hope it pays off. I don’t like to lose.”

His favorite football memory is the Savannah County Day game last year when the Knights won 37-36.

“I scored two touchdowns in that game and then we held them off at the end to win,” he said. “That was pretty special.”

His favorite athlete is golfer Jordan Spieth because of the way he carries himself, adding that he is respectful and maintains a hard work ethic.

Middleton and the Knights will open the regular season Friday hosting the Westfield School of Perry. The kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

Special Photo: Joe Whitfield