TO PLAY a sport at Granger takes a lot of determination and heart. Daniel Tippets (10) joined the football team just this year to feel like he is a part of something greater than himself. “I joined football to feel like I am a part of a team, but it later became less a team and more a band of brothers, who share blood, sweat, and tears on the field,” Tippets said.

“I look forward to playing football for the rest of my years at Granger or as long as I can while maintaining good grades,” Tippets said. A runner who gives his all on the track is Dillon Tuiatua (9), who also plays football and joined track to keep him in shape during the offseason, because nothing is worse then returning to a sport out of shape. “Playing for Granger has been really fun to get to meet new people and compete,” Tuiatua said.

“It’s hard being a student athlete getting done with practice late and having little to no time to do your homework,” Tuiatua said. For him, being a student comes first because good grades are required to play sports. His friends and family support him by both motivating him and coming to all of his games. “When joining track, I just wanted to do what they do and be a part of what they are a part of,” Tuiatua said.

The thing that pumps him up is seeing the opposing team and wanting to beat them. He would love to play in college because it would give him a possibly bright future. “Football has become a big part of my life being on that field surrounded by my brothers is all the motivation in the world,” Tuiatua said.

“The thing that pumps us up is just saying we got each others back, and if we lose we lose as a team, and just next week we bring it all in practice getting ready for this week’s game,” Tuiatua said. This year, he looks forward to walking on the field or track with the people that he calls family.

“Playing for Granger has some benefits, especially making new friends on the team and meeting players from other schools,” Calvin Mai (11) said. The way that he likes to balance sports and school is to not just go with the flow and instead tries not to focus on one more than the other. “For me being a student-athlete is just words, you just can’t put one ahead of the other it’s more of an in-between type of a thing for me,” Mai said.

His friends support him by joining the sport or just joining in activities to show support for him. His parents help pay for the fees and gear to be able to play the sport and encourage him as much as possible. “I didn’t choose tennis, tennis chose me because I was encouraged to join,” Mai said. His friends and teammates motivate him as he motivates them. He would love to play in college because it would be a fun experience for him.

He is often encouraged and draws inspiration from professional players and looks forward to making new memories with his teammates.

“Playing for Granger is a privilege that I don’t take lightly and it feels good having my brothers all around me,” Anthony Chacon (9) said. “Being a student is awesome because I stay on top of my grades and perform better on the field,” Chacon said.

Being a student always comes first to him, and it’s impossible to have one without the other. His friends support him by joining the sport or coming to his games, his family supports him in anything that he sets his mind to and will always be there for him. “I chose football, basketball and baseball because I have been playing them all of my life and I would do more if high school would allow it,” Chacon said.

He gets pumped up by warming up and listening to music before a game.  He would love to play in college, and his main goal is to get at least a scholarship for one of those sports. “My motivation is my family, mostly my brother, so I can be a better role model for him and so he can go farther in life than me,” Chacon said.

He pumps his team up being always staying positive no matter the circumstances. His inspiration is Jose Altuve because he shows everybody that athletes do not need to be tall to be a pro.