West Florence junior balances football and band

FLORENCE, S.C. — Ellis Neighbors was on the football field Friday night sacking players and by halftime he was marching on the field as a trumpet player for West Florence High School Marching Band. 

Neighbors said he is committed to excellence and makes an effort to be the best in everything he does.

He is ranked in the top 5% of his class, is the starting center on the field, and is the lead trumpet soloist for the marching Knights, all while being a junior. 

Neighbors said he got his start in music with the piano and later picked up the trumpet because his father played the same instrument.

“I started playing the trumpet and I fell in love with it,” Neighbors said. He comes from a family who loves music. His mother is a singer and his father plays the trumpet and has a deep love for music. He grew up playing music at Ebenezer Baptist Church.

Neighbors said his love for football was always there as a young boy, but his mother was apprehensive about him getting hurt on the field. She warned him to wait until high school to play football.

Neighbors said it has been a struggle balancing two different activities that are on two opposite ends of the spectrum. He said arts are not often crossed with athletics and he is hoping to be a symbol that the two fields can mesh.

“You shouldn’t have to choose one or the other,” Neighbors said. “You should be able to choose both. I know a lot of people make fun of the arts, but it takes just as much practice and hard work as it does to prepare for football games.”

Neighbors said he is larger than the stereotypes of athletes and believes that people should not be boxed in by societal beliefs. 

He said it took a lot of adjusting to get his schedule together for both band and football. Neighbors said he would often finish one practice before running to be on time for the other. “As time went by things got easier,” he said. “It did take a lot of adjustment and a lot of work to get comfortable. It had its ups and downs.”

He said being busy has taught him how to manage his time. It’s a skill he said he is eager to take with him to college.

“Band and football has taught me time management and it has given me a deeper respect for people who have a passion for athletics and the arts,” he said. 

Neighbors said people should not be boxed in and should not be confined to one thing. 

“You should go out and do whatever makes you happy and you can’t worry about what others say about you.”