Brody Hayes has always found plenty of joy in just about everything he’s done in his life.
 
Which is quite a bit.
 
“I was the kid that would bring home different papers from school of things to sign up for,” Hayes said. “And all the time it was always, ‘Yeah, why not? Let’s try this or let’s try that.’ I guess I always kind of had a fear of missing out on something. I wanted to be there for everything, to have a chance to make memories.”
 
But following his sophomore season at Clay Center, Hayes felt he was missing out on something. 
 
It wasn’t anything athletics-related. At that time, he was a three-sport athlete for the Tigers, participating in football, wrestling and baseball.
 
Nor did it have to do with his participation in other activities at the high school where he was a member of multiple clubs as well as a part of Clay Center’s honors choir or in the community where he was heavily involved, especially within his church.
 
Instead, it was something personal.
 
“I was always playing games, whether it was football or baseball or whatever,” Hayes said. “But the summer after my sophomore year, I just felt like I needed something bigger to play for than just myself. Something that could really fulfill my life and bring me permanent joy. With sports, the hard thing is you find your identity in how well you do. I wanted my identity to be something more than that.”
 
Hayes made the decision at that point to turn his life over to God and hasn’t looked back. This week’s CapFed® True Blue® Student of the Week, Hayes applied his faith to every aspect of his life and graduated from Clay Center last weekend fully satisfied that he left a lasting impression for future Tigers to look up to.
 
“When you’re gone, people aren’t necessarily going to remember what you did on the field,” he said. “They’re going to remember how you were as a person and what you did for your community. I’m always trying to be the best person I can be.
 
“Same for the school. They’re going to remember you as an athlete, but also as a good student who was respectful, worked hard and was a leader for other kids in the school.”
 
Adhering to the belief that things happen for a reason, Hayes’ self-inventory about who he wanted to be over his final two years in high school somewhat coincided with the start of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes club at Clay Center. The club began his sophomore season and Hayes immediately jumped at the chance to join, though he admitted his first year he “didn’t put myself out there too much.”
 
But as a junior, that changed. Through his work with FCA he spent a lot of time with North Central Kansas area director Ty Zimmerman, the former Junction City and Kansas State football standout. His experiences were something Hayes could relate to on multiple levels and when he came back for his junior year, he took on a leadership role within Clay Center’s club.
 
Hayes became the club’s male leader and served in that role his final two years of high school. He would lead weekly bible studies every Thursday morning where the group would discus different books of the bible and share their faith. He also was heavily involved in Fields of Faith, which was a community get-together on the football field that mixed games with worship and also brought in guest speakers.
 
“The past two years, my faith’s grown extremely,” he said. “It’s gotten so big where I’ve shared it to multiple people and groups. It’s a huge thing for me trusting God’s path and learning more about his work.
 
“I’ve always had leadership qualities. I’ve always been the leader of my group, my grade. I’ve kind of been the guy they look up to – I don’t say a whole lot, I just lead by example. … The faith built onto that leadership quality for me.”
 
Hayes’ devotion to and performance within his FCA club earned him the state’s Male Athlete of the Year for 2024 from the organization.
 
“I got that award during the stress of recruiting process,” Hayes said. “I didn’t really fully grasp the honor that I should have felt from getting that award at first. But I’m truly grateful and excited to get that award and be named that and helped me be able to share my platform on my faith.”
 
The recruiting process also strengthened Hayes’ faith. Even in being a first-team All-Class 3A selection for the Tigers as a junior, he went into his senior season a bit under-recruited because of his size, 5-11, 180 pounds.
 
But not only did he put his future in God’s hands, he put it in his own.
 
“(Going into) his senior year of football, he was always up on the field working out or in the weight room or doing something to better himself,” Clay Center athletic director Greg Ferguson said. “Any time you drove by, there was Brody Hayes doing something. People can just see if you put that much work in, you’re going to have success. For me, it was great to see him put that work in and have it translate into the success he had this season. It should tell kids you can’t just show up, you’ve got to put the time in. And if you put the time in, good things can happen.”
 
Hayes also stuck to a quote from what he calls his favorite bible verse, Galatians 6:9.
 
“Let us not become weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap the harvest if we do not give up.”
 
Hayes enjoyed a huge senior season for the Tigers, leading them to a 9-2 record before a last-second heart-breaking loss to eventual champion Cheney in the state quarterfinals. Hayes led the team in rushing with 882 yards and 12 touchdowns and in tackles with 93, earning not only first-team All-3A honors for the second straight year, but also third-team All-State.
 
And a scholarship from his dream school, Washburn, where his father, Patrick and mother, Arica, both were college athletes – Patrick playing football and Arica playing volleyball.
 
“That stuck with me throughout the whole deal,” Hayes said. “I did all the work I could trusted God with the rest and eventually he made it happen. It truly took over for me the beginning of my senior year. I was going to have fun, play for Him and do what I can. That’s when it fully took over for me.”
 
“It made it so much easier. I was able to embrace and be engaged in the moment more. I really didn’t have to worry about anything. I just wanted to win, have fun with my teammates for the last year. I just went out and played and played the right way and tried to be a good leader for all my friends.”
 
In addition to those honors, Hayes also was named one of 12 scholar-athletes by the Bill Snyder Family/Sunflower Chapter of the National Football Foundation, honored at a banquet in early May.
 
“To be able to be honored with that group of guys was truly awesome,” Hayes said. “It’s cool to see Washburn recruiting some of those high-character guys. To be able to represent my school and community was awesome.”
 
Hayes was nominated for the award by his football coach, Marc Henry, who said the decision was a no-brainer.
 
“Brody’s as good of a kid off the field as he is on the field,” Henry said. “Obviously he was a great team leader for us, led by example on and off the field. It’s the things he does outside of football – active in the church, youth group and different things around the community. I’ve preached to these kids over the years about being a servant leader and he’s the embodiment of that. He’s the kind of kid any coach would love to have leading their program.
 
“The kids that are in the pipeline saw it. And all it takes is one, two, three of those kids to see it and to strive to be that kid and that leader and that’s how you continue a good strain of leadership, having a kid like Brody that paves the way.”
 
Ferguson agreed.
 
“Brody’s just a very high-character guy,” he said. “He’s always willing to help somebody out, whether that’s a teacher or another student. He’s pretty quiet here at school, but is a leader at the same time. He’s personable and treats others the way you should and is very respected by everyone. He just goes about his work. Nothing flashy, he just does what he needs to do to be successful.
 
“He’s not just an athlete, it’s about his character. His character is what made him the athlete he is. His character is what got him to where he is today.”
 
A member of Clay Center’s National Honor Society and senior class treasurer, Hayes was just short of giving a valedictorian or salutatorian speech at last week’s graduation. However, he gave perhaps just as impactful of a talk in delivering the Senior Sermon at the Clay Center United Methodist Church.
 
“I’d preached two weeks ago, so I didn’t feel a lot of pressure,” he said. “The first time I did it I was pretty nervous. But I’m always taking advantage of every opportunity to use God’s gift that he’s given me and using it how I want.
 
“(My message was) embracing God’s presence and not ignoring the fact that you need God. You can not do this on your own, you need him. He will give you opportunities to talk to him and grow your relationship with him, but if you ignore it, the gap between you and God will keep growing. You have to find the time to deepen your relationship with him so that when you’re talking to him, it’s like you guys are best friends.”
 
Even after graduation, Hayes had some unfinished business to tend to this week. A four-year starter for the Tiger baseball team at shortstop, he was hoping to help lead the team back to the Class 4A state tournament and the program’s first state championship with the Tigers going into regional play 20-4 on the season.
 
But after edging Buhler 4-2 in the regional semifinals, the Tigers were upset 3-1 in Tuesday’s regional championship game, bringing a close to Hayes’ high school career at Clay Center.
 
It’s over, but Hayes leaves with no regrets.
 
“I didn’t get a state championship like I wanted,” he said. “But like I said, you can’t just find your identity in athletics. I’m satisfied with how I left and I hope I left a legacy for everyone at the school and represented the community well, the school well. I always worked hard and I hope the other students and classes behind me keep that culture going.”