Like any other morning after a pre-school football workout, Bradley-Bourbonnais’ Calvin Kohl was leaving the school to head home before returning for class at the end of his junior year.

Driving through the residential neighborhood west of the school, the back of Kohl’s red pickup truck was slightly hit by another car that was backing out, but it was just enough to send Kohl’s truck flipping over twice, landing on its side. The bed of his truck housed his lawn equipment and gasoline, which he immediately started to smell once his truck came to rest.

“That definitely was a scary moment,” Kohl said. “I landed on my side and luckily had my seat belt on, but then I looked back and noticed the gas dripping down by my face. I’m going to be honest, I kind of freaked out.”

His cousin, Ethan, who had just come home after his freshman year at Truman State University, was behind Calvin and immediately rushed to his cousin’s aid. He ended up being fine, but the crash certainly shifted the perspective of a young man known on the football field for his fearless, physical play as a linebacker and tight end for the Boilermakers.

“It was a blessing I came out with just scratches,” he said. “My face was cut up a bit, but it gave me a new perspective, for sure, to be grateful for every day because you never know. Especially with everything going on in the world today, any day could be your last.”

While his accident wasn’t an intended source of perspective, Kohl spent his entire time as a Boilermaker in search of experiences to enhance the way he looks at life. A member of the National Honor Society, Kohl found roles in Best Buddies, a program that pairs students with physically and mentally disabled peers, including participating in the school’s Unified basketball and track and field programs.

He was also selected by his classmates for the school’s Natural Helpers program, where students vote on peers to serve as mentors and essentially shoulders to lean on.

“People that come watch us on Friday nights, I wish they could watch him have lunch with our special needs kids and just see how he treats everyone in our community,” Mike Kohl, the Boilers football coach and Calvin’s uncle, said. “Whether it’s a custodian or principal, he treats everybody the same way. Calvin’s just a really respectful kid to everyone. He doesn’t care who you are or what you come from, he’s going to love you. That’s mostly credit to his mom, I like to joke, but he’s really special.”

Not long after his accident, Calvin Kohl had another life-changing moment when he was one of 40 members of Church to serve on a mission trip to Johannesburg, South Africa and the surrounding area. Among the other missionaries were his dad, Bradley Central Middle School principal Mark Kohl, and Ellis Johnson, Calvin’s football teammate and the team’s starting quarterback.

For Calvin, not only was experiencing life in a different part of the world a learning moment, but just seeing how people from different ages and backgrounds experienced that was something to learn from.

“It’s really eye-opening to see how other people live,” he said. “It definitely changed my perspective and experience in life. ... It was really cool to see the different perspectives, talking to everyone about how they processed their experiences.”

Back on the field for his senior year, Calvin Kohl and the Boilers have been rolling, sitting at 5-0. He’s second on the team in receiving yards (169) and touchdowns (three), and is tied for second on the team with 22 tackles.

A longtime water boy alongside his cousins Ethan and Gavin, Calvin Kohl grew up on the Boiler sidelines long before toeing the turf himself. He’ll never forget memories like the 2015 team’s run to the IHSA Class 7A semifinals before his career or the memories he’s made as a player, like last year’s trip to the quarterfinals, with plans on an even more memorable senior sendoff.

“I looked up to those players growing up, and it’s crazy that there might be kids out there looking up to me the same way,” Calvin Kohl said. " ... I think everybody talks about soaking in your senior year, but nobody’s able to do it. I think just taking a deep breath every once in a while, realizing that this is it and giving it my best every practice, every game, is something I try and do every day."