Mason Zurek Over The Top

So…my jaw isn’t so tight anymore and it’s time to put it all into perspective.

That’s Mason Zurek going over the top for a first down at St. Thomas.  My grandson Coley refers to Mason as a “beast” – it’s the greatest compliment he can make.  Coley saw Mason at Hampden-Sydney and walked away saying “Mason Zurek is a beast.”  All true – he’s clearly a record-setting running back for the Little Giants.

But that’s just a small portion of the man Mason Zurek.

He’s a young man who always smiles.  Friendly beyond compare.  Once you meet his parents, you understand friendly and happy run in the family.

Mason’s GPA at Wabash is north of 3.5 – you’d need to add my two best semesters together to equal his.  On December 5, 2015, the day of the St. Thomas game, Mason was originally scheduled to take the LSAT – THE test for Law School.  He postponed it for a very special football game.  But he’ll attend law school and be a very special attorney.

AJ Clark Fires Up The Team

I have known AJ Clark throughout his time at Wabash.  He’s a talented young man in many ways.  He’s made films while a student here.  He’s been a leader.  And he’s never stopped giving his all as a member of the football team.  AJ Clark’s challenge has been he’s in a group of a lot of very talented linebackers.  So he had to wait his turn.  Meanwhile, he always seemed to be in on a special teams play.  This year has been different.  #10 on defense got the call and he’s delivered.  Leaders lead…and AJ Clark is a leader.

So on this Tuesday morning driving down from Lafayette, I finally paid the right amount of attention to the right things.  The football team was one of the last eight teams standing. 12-1.  A great season.  Is St. Thomas a better football team?  Probably.  They were on the day.

But, the Grunge wouldn’t change anything about who the Little Giants are.  Not one thing.  Mason and AJ are just the tip of the iceberg of great young men who are, in the truest fashion, student-athletes at Wabash.  Mason and AJ and…well, you can add a boatload of seniors’ names here…Michael Putko, Connor Karns, Eddie Cmehil, Matt Gibson, Tom Garrity, Evan Rutter, Tyler McCullen, Wes Brown, Chris Broecker, and Matt Dickerson to name a few…these guys set the standard.

These guys will help change our world.  Long after the scores fade away…these guys will still be scoring touchdowns in the game of life.