Kris Brown can’t stop smiling.

The Escambia Academy junior running back and free safety has been a positive force for the Cougars on and off the gridiron.

He’s making his presence felt, especially when it comes to breaking off of the line for long runs or on special teams.

When asked how he obtained so much skill for football, Brown said it was due to training with his dad, Cris.

“I used to train a lot with my dad because I wanted to be a track star,” he said. “The genes basically came with it, but it’s a lot of hard work.”

Brown, who is from Canada and Detroit, Mich., said the training was rough.

“It was to the point where I almost cried,” he said. “My dad would make me run. I’d run up hills and in the snow.

“When we came down here, it was tires,” he said. “I pulled tires, flipped tires. Then, it’d be crazy that I’d be so sore and I wouldn’t be able to move.”

Brown said the season has gone well so far, but the team overall can get better.

“There’s always room for improvement,” Brown said. “Without my blockers, I couldn’t make the runs that I could have.”

Brown said football is a sport that grew on him because of everybody else who played the game.

“I fell in love with it seeing everybody play,” he said. “People were telling me that I was too small to play football. I got this I’m going to prove you wrong type instinct. Then, it’s the speed. I’m just going to outrun everybody.”

While it may seem like Brown is running away with it on the field this season, he said he just wants to be a leader for the younger guys.

“I’m motivated,” he said. “I want to be a leader for everybody. As they say, there’s always somebody looking at you as a role model. I want to be a role model for all of the kids and the team, and show them that you can do anything you want with hard work.”

Brown, only a junior, said he doesn’t want to stop succeeding, adding that he has a great support group behind him.

“(EA head football) Coach (Hugh) Fountain motivates all of us to work hard,” he said. “My dad motivates me. They don’t stop until I succeed to make it.”

Brown is also the son of Tameka Brown of Detroit.