They call him ‘Mr.Versatile’

His mom hollered to him.

“John, did you feed the animals yet?”

“No, mom,” he answered.

Feeding the animals does not seem to be one of his top priorities. But how can you blame John Macklin when he has state track meets to prepare for, touchdowns to score and shots to block on the ice?

Macklin, a senior at Timberlake High School, lives for physical activity.

“I snowmobile, snowboard, wakeboard; I used to compete in water-skiing,” Macklin said. “Pretty much anything that’s active, I like to do it.”

Not only does Macklin enjoy water sports, but he also has played hockey for nine years, played football for six years and run track for Timberlake for four years. As a multisport athlete, he has some big moments and accomplishments under his belt.

“Any time you’re competing in a sport, it makes you a better athlete,” said Timberlake football coach Roy Albertson, “and John is in sports all year-round and gets to compete all year-round.”

Macklin played hockey his freshman and sophomore years but took his junior year off. Returning as a senior, he made a trip to the summer showcase in Las Vegas and received an offer.

“I got a call from a Junior A team in New Jersey that wanted me to play with them,” he said, “but I couldn’t because of football and school.”

Another “chance of a lifetime” came three years earlier when Macklin qualified for the state track tournament.

“It’s one of those things that brought me to tears,” Macklin said as he remembered watching a teammate struggle to victory with a pulled hamstring. “I wasn’t doing much of the scoring, but my teammates were.”

Although Macklin didn’t feel like he had much to offer, his coach thinks differently.

“Every year, he’s been a huge contributor,” said Timberlake track coach Brian Kluss.

However, Kluss said what stands out in his mind is Macklin’s career on the football field – namely, his two 45-yard touchdown runs against Declo High School in this year’s playoffs.

Albertson agreed the Declo game was a shining moment for Macklin, shedding light on the athlete’s many talents on the field.

“John has kind of been ‘Mr. Versatile’ for us,” Albertson said. “He has been all-conference defensive back first team for two years. He also has been a punter for us and has run back kicks for us.”

Set to graduate in June, Macklin’s last chance to continue his legacy at Timberlake will be at the state track meet, pole-vaulting and running hurdles.

“If he qualifies for state this year, he would be only the second boy to qualify for state four years in a row,” Kluss said.

Macklin also has his sights set on shattering Timberlake’s pole-vaulting record. He tied it at 13 feet, 6 inches last year at the Freeman Invite.

When his days of hurdling and scoring touchdowns are over, Macklin wants to return to the ice – his first love.

“I like hitting people,” Macklin said, explaining why it is his favorite sport.

He plans on playing hockey at a junior college for two years, then moving on to play football.