(Photo provided by Briceson Cline) Briceson Cline smiles for a photo on top of a mountain during a 50-mile hike at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico on July 4, 2025.

WATERFORD — Briceson Cline, 18, was born and raised in Waterford. As Briceson Cline closes out his senior year in the sports medicine and exercise science program at the Washington County Career Center, he said he plans to join the Air Force.

“I plan on doing that for four years, and I’ve always wanted to be a cop so then I plan on becoming a state highway patrolman,” said Cline, 18, who was born and raised in Waterford.

To prepare for his future career, Cline began shadowing at the patrol’s Marietta post in January.

“The first time I went, we were on I-77 towards Caldwell and getting people’s speeds and making sure they were going the speed limit,” he said. “We got this person going 87 mph … he drove through the median … we were going 120 mph after this guy.”

Cline said the experience has been really interesting and he shadows a trooper every couple of weeks. He joked and said he tries not to bother them too much.

(Photo provided by Briceson Cline) Briceson Cline poses for a photo on a rock during a 50-mile hike at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico July 4, 2025.

Cline said he was curious to see how the highway patrol responded to emergency situations, but he hasn’t witnessed any crashes.

“Shadowing the patrol definitely made me want to do it even more,” said Cline. “It was a blast.”

To prepare for a career as a highway patrolman, Cline wants to work in security forces in the Air Force.

“I think the (Career Center) program classes will help me because it’s taught me stuff about the body which I could use,” he said.

He said he learned CPR in a class last year and various first aid tactics like how to stop bleeding, which he felt would be a beneficial skill in the Air Force and as a patrol trooper.

(Photo provided by Briceson Cline) Briceson Cline poses for a photo with his feeder calf at the Barlow Fair after winning research champion in September.

Cline has been enrolled at the Career Center for two years and continues involvement in sports and clubs through Waterford High School. He said he’s been wrestling for four years and recently finished up the season.

“My brother talked me into it after playing basketball all throughout middle school, so it was a completely different sport,” he said. “And I’ve been golfing since seventh grade.”

Cline said he enjoyed golf more because he had a difficult time maintaining his weight for wrestling season.

“Golf is more for me,” he said.

He said the wrestling season starts in November with state championships taking place around March. The wrestling season starts right after golf which goes from around July into October. The golf team went to Columbus for the state championships in October.

(Photo provided by Briceson Cline) Briceson Cline stands with his market steer at the Washington County Fair after winning fifth overall in August.

“It was one of the best experiences I ever had playing against people with more competition up there and watching really competitive people made me want to be that good,” said Cline. “I think it actually made me better.”

With the wrestling and golf seasons coming to a close, Cline continues to stay involved in 4H and Scouts.

“I’ve been in 4-H for 10 years now,” he said. “I was president last year. … I’ve also been the vice president and the historian.”

He said as president, he informed his club about upcoming events and opportunities so people could plan and attend. As the historian for a year, he talked with club members about the history of the club and his past experiences.

“I just talk to them about things I’ve done over the years and ideas on how they can do it,” said Cline.

(Photo provided by Briceson Cline) Briceson Cline celebrates his 100th win for the Waterford Wildcats wrestling team at a competition at Wellston High School Feb. 7.

Even though he won’t be continuing 4-H after this year, Cline said he would be interested in continuing Scouts as an assistant counselor.

“I recently earned my Eagle Scout rank; right before the new year I met with the head counselor, so that was a pretty big accomplishment,” he said.

Cline said he joined the Scouts seven years ago and really enjoys going on the summer camping trips.

He said the troops went on a 50-mile canoe trip in Michigan and a 50-mile hiking trip in New Mexico recently.

“Lots of cool views, it was a lot of fun,” he said. “The bigger trips are usually spread out over a few years.”

(Photo provided by Briceson Cline) From left, Briceson Cline, Luke Hvizdzak, Braun Doak, Reese Lang and Brock Hurley, pose for a photo at the state golf tournament in Columbus in October.

He said the trip to New Mexico was unique because they drove to Cleveland and took a train to Chicago and through Kansas down to New Mexico.

“I think it’s the best way of traveling,” said Cline. “It was just so much fun.”

As the youngest of four, Cline said he’s been close with his family and even though some of his siblings moved out recently, he makes time to visit them.

“It’s just me and the younger sister now, but we usually try to do a bunch of fun things together,” he said. “We always go buggy riding on the back roads and trails, and we love to go to concerts.”

They went to a country concert last June and there were lots of singers Cline really enjoyed. He couldn’t decide which one he liked more.

“In the summer, we’re planning on going to Kentucky and we’ll take our buggies down there and ride,” he said. “And my aunt lives in Oklahoma and we’re going to make a trip out to see her.”

He said they also plan on going to Tennessee later in the summer to ride their buggies for fun.

Cline said right now he’s focused on graduating and he’s “going to go with the flow.”

(Photo provided by Briceson Cline) Briceson Cline celebrates a win during the Waterford High School senior wrestling night Jan. 12.

(Photo provided by Briceson Cline) In one of Briceson Cline’s senior photos, he poses with a golf ball and club in November.

(Photo provided by Briceson Cline) In October, Briceson Cline sits on the brick basketball state championships monument at Waterford Elementary which he completed for his Eagle Scout project.