Maybe Maplesville’s Blane Fuller will finally put to rest the legendary debate whether the chicken or egg came first.

The MHS senior is fascinated by the farm animal, their many different breeds and behaviors, so much that he could potentially see making a career out of it.

The shaggy toe-headed 3.8 GPA student will graduate this Thursday and head to Jeff State Community College to figure out what the next phase of his life will hold for him.

At the college level, Fuller will need some time to fill, given the amount of extracurricular activities in which he participated as a high schooler.

As National Honor Society parliamentarian, BETA Club vice president, Fellowship of Christian Athletes president, Future Farmers of America member and varsity football defensive tackle and center, he had little spare time.

While juggling so much, he managed to stay on the A-B honor roll throughout all four years of high school.

Fuller finished third in his class academically. Such a high distinction surely makes his parents, Chris and Delina Lenoir, proud, but it frustrates him just for a moment.

“I think I came up a little short,” Fuller said, citing he might have finished higher with more hard work.

Bringing whatever competitive spirit he had on the football field into the classroom is what gives him that attitude and high GPA.

But Fuller respects his fellow classmates who finished ahead of him. Friendly competition is the name of the game for the onetime Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership representative. He also attended a leadership conference in Indianapolis, representing Alabama with five other students.

Favorite subjects include biology, math (under Kathy Plumb) and history. Although English didn’t top his list of preferences, he insists Dene Carter had a positive influence on his academics.

“The way she taught helped make the grammar not so tough,” he said.

Fuller certainly does not dread his imminent graduation, but he’s curious as to what’s next.

“It’s going to be different, I know that,” he said. “But I’m not really leaving home just yet. I’ll still be in Maplesville.”

You might see him on stage at some point, too. An active member of Randolph Baptist Church, Fuller plays bass guitar every Sunday with his worship band. He and fellow senior Jeremy Hollis are even beginning to write some original music on the side.

“We haven’t had any gigs yet,” said Fuller, who also sings a bit and plays acoustic guitar.

After two years at Jeff State, Fuller wants to maybe finish his degree at Auburn University. Opening up a poultry business is one of many goals he has for down the road. Once you see Fuller on his chicken farm, you see that the hobby is clearly his passion.

He’ll rattle off all sorts of breed names and other terminology like it’s second nature, as if he’s already a pro. He already breeds, raises and sometimes sells healthy chickens, often searching for that perfect breed.

You’d think his time spent as a land judge with the Future Farmers of America is what set his sights on poultry science, but he grew up around chickens well before that.

“I’ve always had chickens here at my house,” he said. “I’ve been getting into crossing different breeds and even seeing if I can start a new breed. I just like dealing with them, watching them grow up and go through the changes they do. They just fascinate me.”

As he walks across the stage and collects his diploma, which could send him down that path of farming and breeding, Fuller said he will miss his days as a MHS student.

“It really meant a lot,” he said. “It’s given me a lot of friends and memories I’ll never forget. Nothing else could compare to it.”