ITG-CV / September 2016
When football coaches in the Columbus Valley area submitted preview information for the August edition of In The Game Sports Magazine, included was a section for top Academic Players. Sixteen schools submitted preview information, and a few excluded the academic section. Of the schools that named their top academic athletes, one football player’s GPA stood out. Harris County High School rising senior Gage Lee was reported to have a 4.3 GPA.
Because Lee’s GPA was impressive for any student much less one who participates in two high school sports, a fact-check ensued. Upon contacting Harris County’s head football coach Zac Howard, ITG learned the GPA was incorrect.
Howard called to say Lee actually held a 4.4 GPA at the end of his junior year.
To be able to reach a GPA above the 4.0 mark, Honors and Accelerated Placement classes must be a part of a student’s curriculum. Honors classes are courses of study that cover the same curriculum as regular classes but are taught at a faster pace and geared toward high achievers by exploring the subject matter in-depth or by adding additional work.
AP classes give students the means to study at the college level; students who have taken AP courses and passed the exams earn college credits.
For Lee, the road to starting his senior year with an extraordinary GPA began several years ago. The 17-year-old is part of a military family and once lived in Maryland due to his father’s job. There he attended school in a system that eventually enabled him to advance almost two years ahead. From there, Lee went to Florida where he attended a charter school and continued his high level of academics. When he enrolled in Harris County High School, he and his younger brother, Grady, had a plan to keep up the standard.
“My little brother and I decided we were going to be ahead of the game,” Lee said. “It’s been hard at times, but the honors classes have been good for me. Regular classes always seemed kind of like busy work, but at least the honors classes kept me interested and had a benefit at the same time.”
Last year Lee added four AP classes to his credit and has four more on his class schedule for his senior year. The workload can be daunting, but Lee said that his teachers make the courses interesting and that he especially enjoys the history classes taught by Rwanda Gates.
While his coach and others affirm Lee is very smart, the student athlete admits it’s not easy sometimes to balance academics with playing two sports.
“I probably struggle more during football season,” Lee said. “It’s time consuming, and my classes require effort. When I wrestle, I get a little break because it isn’t as busy and there are more school breaks, which helps me catch up or stay ahead.”
Academics may be a priority in Lee’s life, but he isn’t sitting at home studying all the time. The 5’9”, 165-pound linebacker for the Tigers has a passion for the sport of football. He got started playing around the fourth grade and knew immediately it was his sport. Moving as often as he has, football has been a big benefit in helping him overcome the uncertainties that come with being the new kid.
“Honestly, football has really helped me find a place to fit in,” Lee said. “Even when I came here, I got to know people on the football team first, which helped me make friends and know some people in my classes.”
He does know one person on the team really well. Grady Lee is a junior at HCHS and plays football. Like his older brother, Grady is a wrestler for the Tigers, too, and also has a high academic record. The two brothers have a strong relationship that might include a bit of sibling rivalry.
“Maybe just a little competitiveness is there,” Lee said, laughing.
Going forward, the senior has not decided about college or even a course of study. He said he knew he might have an interest in some type of medical field, and if that turns out to be the case, he will have a good background in the sciences due to his advanced studies.
He would love to play sports in college but pretty much knows he will be too busy with an even more rigorous academic schedule to have time to invest in college athletics. That’s one reason this football season is special as it will be the last one for him.
“Football teaches you so much about yourself,” Lee said. “You have to rely on yourself but also work as a team. I love it, and I love the challenge of it. It’s been good for me.”
ITG Web Content
Linebacker Stays Focused On Academic Achievement
By Beth Welch
Photos by George McDuffie
