My name is Khalen Amanuel Reese. I am a 16-year-old native of Syracuse, New York.  I am the son of Jennifer and Virgil Reese. I have four loving siblings, Virquel, Elliot, Evelyn, and Collin, of whom I am next to last in birth order. 

My mom and dad are hard workers, and they raised me to love hard work. I feel this relates to sport, and this is why I  gravitated to football, because I love the grind and the physical demand of the game. 

I began my playing career with the Clay Panthers of the Central New York Pop Warner Football Association.  I played many years of football for this organization, beginning at 7 years old and finishing at age 12.  I had a great deal of fun honing my craft, building camaraderie with teammates, winning two championships, and forging lifelong relationships.

I was able to transition the raw skills I developed as a running back and outside linebacker at Clay to Christian Brothers Academy high school, where the watchful eyes of head coach Casey Brown and his talented staff have helped me fine-tune my skills, teaching me the nuances of playing high school football.

 I began my career at C.B.A. as a 13-year-old junior varsity player.  I earned the trust of my coaches and was able to showcase some of the skills as a running back that I had been developing over the years.  Some of the skills I possess, such as field vision, suddenness, and explosiveness, were displayed and are part of the package that I feel separates me from average running backs.  These skills helped my team to a 4-3 record.     

My second year of Junior Varsity football is when I feel my career began to take off.  I was a contributor to an undefeated season in which our team went 7-0,  averaged 35 points per game, and allowed an average of 6 points.  I contributed 30 touchdowns to the team, scoring as a runner off long runs, screens, and routes out of the backfield.  This season allowed me to display the array of skills I had been developing, such as my explosive ability as a kickoff returner, taking 6 kickoffs to the house. In addition to my offensive contributions, I was also able to help the defensive unit with three interceptions from the outside linebacker position.  At the culmination of my season, I was rewarded with the opportunity to move up to the Varsity football team.  I was so pumped to show Coach Brown and the rest of the world what I could do.

I didn’t think I would get many opportunities to play as a true freshman, but the coaching staff showed trust in me and gave me some playing time in a few playoff blowout games.  I wasted no time displaying my big-play capability, taking several long runs to the house for touchdowns.  I was exhilarated, I couldn’t believe it; I was part of C.B.A.'s unprecedented run to the New York State AA title, I was about to get a championship ring, and a supercharged jolt to my high school football career.   

My sophomore year has been a continuation of my amazing journey as a high school player. Check out my highlights in the media section of my National Prospect ID page as me and my “Brothers” make a run at a third New York State AA championship.