The 5-foot-10, 140-pound junior won the MHSAA 1A individual state championship this past season, breaking the tape with a time of 16:33.50 and leading the Eagles to a first-place finish as a team. Kelly clocked the fastest all-class time at the state meet and was unbeaten by a Mississippi runner all season. He won seven of 10 races during the 2018 campaign, including his last six in a row, and was the state’s top finisher at the Chickasaw Trails Invitational Small School division (2nd—16:54.43) and the Saltillo Invitational 1-3A race (2nd—16:16.20).
Kelly has maintained a 4.08 GPA in the classroom. He will begin his senior year of high school this fall.
Kelly is active in his youth group at First United Methodist of Tupelo, where he volunteers at the Helping Hands Ministry, which helps provide food and clothing for the needy. An Eagle Scout candidate, he has also donated his time to Habitat for Humanity, Eight Days of Hope, Stop Hunger Now and Relay for Life. On an annual basis beginning in 2015, Kelly has raised money for St. Jude by running the Disney Half Marathon in honor of local children battling cancer, collecting $12,000 for the cause in the four years he has run the race.
