FERRIDAY — Friday night is a big night for junior linebacker Calen Glenn.

Glenn will be starting for the first time in his high school career at the Mike linebacker position for Ferriday High School against Vidalia High School as he fills in for an injured player.

“It feels great,” Glenn said. “I’ve never started before on defense, so I know I have to step up and go all out for my team.

“I want to make sure I have a part in every play and do my part to help everyone.”

Glenn has certainly been doing his part in the classroom, as he currently has a 4.0 grade point average. Ferriday head coach Cleothis Cummings said Glenn is a model student athlete who has his priorities straight.

“He’s very focused on his academics, and that’s what you like as a coach,” Cummings said.

“He takes care of what he needs to do first. As a freshman, he scored a 26 on the ACT. That’s just a God-given blessing, and he still has a lot of room to improve.”

Glenn said he plans to take the ACT again in March when Ferriday hosts the test. His 4.0 GPA is simply a result of doing what’s expected of him in class, Glenn said.

“I just pay attention in class,” Glenn said. “For some reason, it comes easy to me. I go home and look it over if I don’t understand it.”

Since he tries to set high goals for himself, Glenn said he’s specifically made it a goal to finish school with a 4.0 GPA. He’s currently considering LSU and Southern University and plans to major in physical therapy.

“I’ve been playing sports a while and have seen some of my friends get injured, so I want to be able to help them,” Glenn said of his desired major.

“I’ve always wanted to be a part of the game, so physical therapy is a way for me to continue past high school.”

Glenn said chemistry, math and English are his favorite subjects, and he honestly doesn’t have a least favorite one. His favorite teacher is Rhonda Cavin, who teaches chemistry

“I like the way she teaches,” Glenn said. “She makes it easy to learn.”

Linebacker comes naturally for Glenn, who said he likes the fact that it’s such a physical position to play.

“I like contact,” Glenn said. “I don’t know why, it’s just fun to hit people.”

Glenn said his key to balancing school and sports is learning to work on very little sleep.

“Sometimes I don’t go to bed until 11 or 12 (at night),” Glenn said. “I don’t ever fall asleep in class. I think being in shape has something to do with that.”