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By Jay Spivey

For the Clemmons Courier

Kale Vest has gone from growing up playing baseball and loving it to playing football and performing very well as a defensive lineman for West Forsyth.   

Other than playing Pop Warner when he was 5 or 6 years old, Vest had never played football until his freshman season at West Forsyth.  

“When I decided to stop playing (baseball) and really focus up on football it was tough because it was a big part of my life growing up,” Vest said. “But I love football and I don’t regret focusing up on football because it’s how much I love it. But yeah, I mean, I don’t know. It’s kind of gone now so I don’t really play anymore.” 

According to Vest, baseball was so big in his life it became part of his vernacular as a child.  

“It was my first word, actually,” he said. “I would like go around the house with a baseball in my hand and I would bang it on my dad’s door. And I would say ball until he would go out and like throw it roll it with me.” 

As a left-handed baseball player Vest played first base and right field.  

“I loved it because it fit me being a lefty,” he said. “I’ll be honest I was more like I wanted to hit. Like, that was what I loved. I was a big power hitter. Like, I hit a bunch of home runs growing up. So, that was my thing.” 

Starting as a T-Ball player at 4, Vest played baseball until he was 15.  

“I feel like I loved the game (baseball) like, I thought it was super-fun,” he said. “I was gone. Like the last time, the last year I played, I was in Georgia the whole summer. We rented out an apartment for like a month and a half and it really drained me out.  

“And I didn’t like the atmosphere compared to when I played football. It didn’t feel like the brotherhood I had in football that I had at West. It just kind of felt like you’re there for your own.” 

At the time, Adrian Snow was the head coach of the West Forsyth varsity football team when Vest decided to go out for the JV team as a freshman. 

“I think (Snow) always wanted me to go out for the team because I’m the same age as (his) daughter and was around them all the time,” Vest said. “So, he definitely wanted me out there playing.” 

Vest always wanted to play football, but the encouragement he received from Snow and the rest of the coaching staff made him want to play football even more.  

“I was a lot slower because not knowing as much you’re not going to play as fast,” Vest said. “So, I also played middle linebacker for my freshman year. So, playing middle linebacker, which you’re supposed to know everything. So, that was definitely tough, but I guess I more relied on my athletic ability my freshman year versus my knowledge because I knew I wasn’t going to be there with everyone else.” 

After the JV season was over his freshman season Vest immediately started preparing for his sophomore season.  

“I’m going to be honest, like I just stayed in the weight room,” he said. “I had a lot of almost older brothers on the team that I stayed in the weight room with. I feel like that was the biggest thing just – being able to overpower someone or you do not have that upper half on somebody that’s the biggest thing for me.” 

Vest also gave up baseball after his freshman year. That was a tough conversation he had with then-Head Coach Brad Bullard.  

“It was definitely a hard thing to the baseball coach I was stepping away from it,” Vest said. “At the time, it’s not my final choice. But right now, I’m not playing and I’m focusing on football.” 

As a freshman, Vest said he was 6-foot-1, 190 pounds. During his sophomore season he was 6-2 and 245 pounds.  

“I knew it would’ve been good to have that extra weight on me because playing, not a skilled position, but playing the lineman kind of thing, it’s definitely tough when you’re lighter,” he said.  

Vest played some games on varsity his sophomore season, but moved to varsity full-time as a junior. However, Snow announced he was resigning after Vest’s sophomore season and Kevin Wallace was announced as Snow’s replacement. 

“So, I was really skeptical of it at first because it was like, ‘Snow’s been there forever,’” Vest said. “He’s kind of been that person at West. So, I was very skeptical of it.  

“But the first time I met Wallace he was very down to business. Like he was just ready to go.” 

The first time, according to Vest, that he met Wallace was in the weight room. Wallace heard that Vest had grown up as a baseball player and had taken up football later.  

“He has a lot of tools. He has a lot of potential,” Wallace said. “He’s really helped develop. This past offseason, he put on a lot of weight…He’s really bought in. He’s really changed his body. He’s gotten a lot of good looks from colleges now because of all that. I think the sky’s the limit for him right now.” 

Now, as a senior, Vest is 6-3.5 and 275 pounds. Part of that was eating six meals a day.  

“I think my progress from my junior year to my senior year is the craziest because right at the end of the (last) season I was 230, maybe 235. And I went up to 275, 280 in about 6 to 8 months.” 

His work ethic and performance drew praise from his coach.

“(He’s improved) a lot,” Wallace said. “I think he’s gotten a lot more stronger. He can stay inside, holding on to blocks. He plays a lot more physical. He’s able to take the beating, and knock on wood, hasn’t had really too many injuries.” 

Vest has also transitioned from more of middle linebacker to playing defensive line. That and his experience have allowed for the game to slow down for him during his senior season. 

“Being in the defensive scheme, I think we changed the structure a little bit this year,” Wallace said. “But being in the same scheme overall has been, and the techniques we’re instilling in him for two years going on now, it just makes it easier for him. It makes it easier for coaches. You know, you can talk to him on more a higher level or by football IQ because of that.” 

After the Cuthbertson game, Vest has 22 solo tackles, according to MaxPreps.com. 

“At D-line I feel like that’s the most intense and most physically demanding on the field, you know,” Vest said. “You’re going against the biggest guys on the field. Going against two of them, like it’s all game. But I feel like you have to have a different side of you on the field.” 

He also accomplished another feat this season. He caught a touchdown pass against Reynolds.  

“I had a catch against them last year,” Vest said. “I had 30-something receiving yards and one catch last year. And this year I have a touchdown. So, of course it’s exciting because I’m a defensive guy. So, there’s only so many package plays that I’m in on.” 

No matter the outcome of Friday’s second-round playoff game, Vest’s time at West Forsyth is waning. He said he has an offer from Campbell. 

“You’ve got to roll the dice sometimes, and you don’t ever know these.” Wallace said. “He has an offer from Campbell. We’ll see moving forward where he ends up going. He’ll have a big recruiting season coming up in the next month, month and a half.” 

Regardless of where Vest chooses to play college football his life has changed because of giving up baseball while at West Forsyth. 

“I feel like it’s brought me to like meet some of my closest friends,” Vest said. “I feel like we’re all kind of like brothers there, you know.”