Over the years, especially the past four, Wyatt Clements made sure he surrounded himself with good company.

Thanks in part to the people around him, Clements is now in a class by himself. Wednesday he was named to the Pennsylvania Football Writers' Class AAA All-State team at linebacker. He was the only Schuylkill League player on the Class AAA team and one of just four from District 11."Over the years, I surrounded myself by people that have the same goals as me," said Clements. "They drive me and push me to do what I can to accomplish what I want. With hard work, persistence and the thought of taking advantage of all the resources you've got, you can do whatever you put your heart to."The 6-1, 210-pound Lehighton running back/linebacker led his team to an undefeated regular season, the No. 1 seed in the District 11 tournament and a berth in the district title game. While he wanted a district title more than any individual accolade, he'll settle for sharing this award with those who helped him earn it."It means a lot to me obviously because there are a lot of great athletes that deserve this award and some got it and some didn't," Clements said. "It's just really nice to be compared with those athletes and to be ranked with them."But it is just as much as my coaches' award as it is my award because I wouldn't be where I am now without my coaches, without my teammates pushing me. I couldn't have been able to do this on my own. It's a very amazing accomplishment for me. I couldn't thank everyone enough."Clements made headlines with his offense this season. He ran the ball 240 times for 1,669 yards (6.95 per carry) while rushing for 23 touchdowns. But opponents learned that he was just as imposing on the other side of the ball."It really wasn't a surprise at all," said Lehighton head coach McCarroll. "I really believe that defense was his strength for his entire career. I know he made a name for himself running the ball all because he's such a big, imposing kind of guy, but defense is really where he made his mark for us. He started as a freshman on defense, not offense."Clements recorded 132 tackles, 14 tackles for losses, 3 1/2 sacks, two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and two forced fumbles in 2015.While Clements excelled on the field, he's just as proud of the numbers he put up in the classroom. He is ranked 12th in his class (of 170 students) and maintains a 3.9 grade point average."That also comes back to my family and my friends, surrounding yourself with people that have the same goals as you," said Clements. "Obviously, when I need to do my work and stuff, I knew when I got a little off topic or got a little distracted, everybody around me reminded me of what goal was up front to achieve. My parents push me to be my best."Having that at the back of my mind, knowing what goal I'm striving for, it's not that hard to do my best at everything possible."PERSONAL SHOUT OUT ... Clements made sure to name the people who have helped him become the great student-athlete that he is. They are Leo Clements (father), Penny Clements (mother), Leo Clements, Jr. (brother), his Indian teammates, his Indian coaching staff, the Indian community, Christina Green and Hilda Green.OTHER DISTRICT 11 PLAYERS TO BE NAMED ... Clements was the only Times News area player on the Class AAA team, but three other District 11 players made the list, including Saucon Valley's Evan Culver (running back) and Christian Carvis (linebacker) and Allentown Central Catholic's Alvin Pacheco (Athlete).