Wheaton Academy athletics has helped me to grow exponentially as an athlete in ways I can’t even begin to express in words. In football, I went from an overweight, uncoordinated linemen to an athletic and intelligent football player able to start every game from the last game of my sophomore year all the way through my senior year.

The strength and conditioning program is fantastic if you buy into it. Through this program, I was able to go from 310 pounds to 270 pounds and replaced most of that fat with muscle. Coach Thornton helped mold me into a great offensive and defensive linemen by stressing the little things and how much difference they can make in a game of inches. Through this transformation, I was recruited by dozens of the top-ranked D3 schools in the country and even a few D2 and D1 schools which is really amazing considering I didn’t play football before high school.

Wheaton Academy athletics has been key to my development as a person. Being a captain on the football team really pushed my limits and forced me to put my desires behind the needs of the team. When I did so, not only did I see my teammates respond well, but I also learned a lot about myself and realized I could give more and do more for my brothers.

Wrestling also developed me as an athlete in many ways. I started wrestling my sophomore year and was uncoordinated and overall sloppy. Though wrestling practices were tougher than any sport I had ever played, it molded me into a more athletic wrestler who developed solid body control. In wrestling, the biggest lesson I learned is to keep fighting. Our coaches told us they would never be mad if we lost a match; they would only be upset if we gave up. This lesson is key, not only for the wrestling mat, but for life in general. In wrestling if you get taken down, you cannot just give up. You have to keep going in order to give yourself a chance. It is the same with life—if a bad thing happens, whether sickness or family issues, you cannot just roll over and give up; you have to keep fighting. You owe it to yourself, your family, and God.

As someone who transferred from a large public school, I think I have a unique perspective on what makes Wheaton Academy different. At Wheaton Academy I am always taught that I am a child of God and that my identity lies in him no matter what happens on the field. Before I came to Wheaton Academy, my performance on the field was so important that it became almost overbearing at times. At Wheaton Academy, I have been pushed forward through love. In three years, I have never heard a coach swear at any point, which is remarkable to me. The coaches are not just here to train athletes to win games; they are here to make better men, future fathers, and future leaders in the home, workplace, and church. At Wheaton Academy, I was pushed not only to be a better athlete but to be a better man, and that focus is something I would never trade.