Where Are They Now -- Austin Blair, Peyton Wyatt

Austin Blair (right, No. 93) celebrates with teammates at Eureka College.

If you have a former athlete you'd like us to feature on Where Are They Now, email Millie Lange

They were high school teammates, they were best men in each other's weddings and they both went on to play college ball and now both coach at the collegiate level.

Austin Blair and Peyton Wyatt graduated from Newton High School in 2012 where Blair played football, basketball and baseball, and Wyatt competed in golf, basketball, baseball and ran track. Although they went different directions in college and played in different sports, their mind-set as athletes have brought them into successful jobs.

"I am an assistant director of admissions, defensive line coach in football and athletics liaison at Eureka College and I'm currently living in East Peoria," said Blair. "What led to my job choice was the fact that I am a people person and have been influenced by many great coaches during my athletic career. I started out in marketing when I graduated from college and then decided my 9-5 job and small cubicle were not for me. I phoned Kurt Barth, head coach at Eureka and said 'I want to coach and I know that I have to do something else as well to pay the bills.' So I started in admissions and coaching. Now, after having numerous successful recruiting classes, I have worked myself up to assistant director of admissions. I have been coaching every season since graduating and have been fortunate to coach on two conference championships teams."

"I currently live in Elmhurst and am the men's head assistant basketball coach and men's head golf coach at Elmhurst College," said Wyatt. "I think coaching was in my blood from day one. My dad was a huge influence in this category because before he went into administration, he was a coach at Flora. I had multiple mentors in college that also helped me decide to be a part of the coaching industry.

"Throughout college, I always knew I wanted to be a coach, preferably basketball. I was always reading books and listening to podcasts of well-known coaches in the business. Whether it was at the high school or collegiate level, I didn't care at the time. I was able to land a graduate assistant position at Anderson University in  Anderson, Indiana which propelled me into coaching at the college level. After Anderson University, there was a position available to come back to my alma mater and coach. I have been a coach at Elmhurst now for three years."

Their success in high school sports gave them a springboard into college and on to their careers.

"I was the all-time leading scorer at Newton in basketball with 1,489 points," said Wyatt. "I was a two-time IBCA All-State selection, three-time all-conference team and Apollo Conference MVP, three-time Dieterich Holiday Tourney MVP, two time Cumberland Tourney MVP, two-time Effingham Daily News All-Area Team and Decatur Herald All-Area Team in 2012. In baseball and golf, I was All-Conference my senior year. We made it to the sectional my sophomore and senior years. We were team sectional champs in track and second place in state as a team in 2012.

"I closed out my career at Elmhurst College ranked second all-time for three-point field goal percent at 42.8. We made it to the NCAA Tournament in 2015 and 2016 and made the round of 32 both times."

"I finished second in career sacks, top 20 for tackles and tackles for loss at Eureka College," said Blair.

When asked what their fondest memories playing their respective sports in high school and college were, both readily had replies.

"I will always remember the baseball game we played at Pana when it was the first doubleheader of the year and it was trying to snow," laughed Blair. "My family sat in the car to watch the game because of how cold it was. Perfect football weather!

"My first start in my sophomore year at college was a fond memory. It was a big crowd and I remember tailgating afterward with my family and friends. It was my first of many starts but will always be one of my fondest memories running through the tunnel and getting to hear my name announced and being called "The Pride of Newton, Illinois."

"The biggest thing I remember playing basketball at Newton is the community support from kids that were five years old up to people that have watched Newton athletics for 50 years.," said Wyatt. "Newton is a football town, but the community supports everything which was something special. If I had to pick a particular moment that first comes to mind was my senior year playing at St. Anthony when I scored a career-high 40 points and we also won that game. Another moment is beating Charleston at Charleston on a last-second shot I made at the buzzer over TJ Bell.

"The biggest thing I remember and cherish from my college career are the relationships and bonds that I created with my coaches and teammates. I still talk with my teammates and coaches daily. Anytime you can win an NCAA tournament game that is something that will always stand out. My junior year we beat St. Norbert in the first round of the NCAA tournament in triple overtime. My senior year we had a big conference game at home vs. Augustana. At the time, Augustana was ranked No. 2 in the nation and I believe we were ranked No. 5. We ended up beating them in overtime."

Blair is married to Bridget, a Eureka College softball alum. and they have one cat named Daisy May. He roots for the Indianapolis Colts and the St. Louis Cardinals.

"My advice to athletes is take care of your work not only in games but in the weight room and in the classroom," advised Blair. "As an active recruiter in the Efifngham area, my first two questions are always, 'what is the student's grades like and what is their effort like in the weight room or practice field.' Not everyone gets the chance to keep playing after high school and if you do, it will require that you give your maximum effort in all areas, not just playing in games."

Wyatt has been married for two years to Lindsay and they are expecting their first baby boy in July. Wyatt is a fan of the University of North Carolina in the NCAA, St. Louis Cardinals fan, a Milwaukee Bucks fan and a fan of Peyton Manning until he retired.

"When thinking of what advice to give athletes, there is a quote by NBA player JJ Redick that really sticks with me," said Wyatt. "You have never arrived. You are always becoming." No matter what you have accomplished in life, 'you have never arrived, you are always becoming.' The successful people in this world have the mentality that they have never arrived and that's what makes them special.

"In today's society, we have information overload. You have so much information at your fingertips, it's easy to figure things out. A lot of people know how to do things (eat healthy, workout, train, etc.). The great ones put their knowledge into action. To become good, there are no shortcuts, it involves consistently putting in the work. Ultimately, enjoy the journey. Enjoy hanging with your teammates and playing the game you love, because eventually, the ball stops bouncing. Whether it is after high school, college or professionally, your career will eventually come to an end.

"Athletics have shaped me into who I am as a person. Athletics have humbled me in many ways and given me confidence in others. Athletics has prepared me for the real world in more ways than I could have imagined."

"I want to also say, to play a college sport is a privilege and it doesn't matter what the level is," said Blair. "I played Division III and loved being able to keep playing football. I hadn't started playing padded football until my freshman year of high school and I was lucky enough to get four more years after high school. I had to learn the hard way about being dedicated in the classroom and weight room. For as big of a guy that I am, 6-foot-2, 300 pounds, I didn't truly buy into lifting until college and that hurt me as an athlete. I needed tutors for classes and consistently needed to have a set schedule or I wouldn't have graduated. Make the sacrifice to do the little things right and it will pay off in the long haul."

Peyton Wyatt (Elmhurst, No. 1) drives around an opponent in basketball action.