At FHC, we have many talented athletes that roam the halls, but there’s one type of competitor that exceeds all expectations: all-conference athletes. These athletes put on a show for our fans. They work day and night to accomplish these highly sought after feats. As the days go by at FHC and we head toward both the end of seasons and eventually the school year, these athletes are always crunched for time when it comes to things like family, homework, and other activities. 

Sawyer McCarthy is sophomore cross country runner here at FHC. He loves competitive running as a sport in the fall and spring seasons. Sawyer is a varsity athlete on both the cross country and track & field teams. This past fall, he earned all-conference honors during the cross country season. Sawyer is one of two sophomore athletes who earned this prestigious honor. The only other recipient of this award is sophomore tight end Max Richardson. For the entire season, Max was called up to the varsity football team, and he was a major contributor to the team’s unbelievable run that got the team to the division two state championship game. Being a competitor at this level requires a lot of sacrifice and tunnel focus that not everyone can do.

“It took hours and hours of hard work and training, driven by determination and focus on my goals as a student-athlete,” said Sawyer when asked about how much work went into reaching the next level. Sawyer is a busy student-athlete who has a life outside of sports. In addition to athletics, he works hard in the drumline for the FHC band, and he is a focused student in the classroom. Every student-athlete has to balance his or her school work and personal life with sport. Sawyer is a prime example of just this.

Achieving excellence is always the goal for varsity athletes like Sawyer and Max, though very difficult to achieve for underclassmen. I think it’s safe to say that both have made it in their respective ways. All-conference is a special achievement, and these two individuals will cherish it because goals like this definitely don’t happen everyday.  

The work it takes to become a varsity and an all-conference athlete as a sophomore is incredible, but Sawyer and Max have both defeated the odds and achieved a great award. Sawyer and Max show what it means to be dedicated team players and students who excel in the classroom. These two students also show humility in all that they do, for neither one boasts about his achievements and is often viewed congratulating his opponents. With great success and humble attributes, it’s easy to root for these student-athletes, and we look forward to celebrating more of their accomplishments in the near future.