You might say Micah Larson had unfinished business in Bearville. Larson, a Pierce County High School senior, was among the most decorated athletes in his class when he stepped away from competitive sports in 2012, having helped lead PCHS to deep playoff runs in football and soccer. This past fall his plans included dual enrollment at Okefenokee Technical College, sans sports, as a precursor to becoming a full-time engineering student. Larson’s initial college course load included a psychology course he took alongside good friend and longtime teammate Blake Aldridge. However, the fair winds of spring soon beckoned both youths back to Bearville.
“After that psychology class, we both decided not to mess with any more college classes until we had to,” says Larson. “It (college) was secluded. I didn’t really show up at PCHS until school was almost over. I wanted to enjoy high school while I could. Coming back was just really about being with my buddies.”
Larson, who will sit in the front row at his PCHS graduation, spurned academic offers from the likes of Baylor University in favor of remaining in state for college. He reports this fall to Georgia College and State University, where he’ll spend the next couple of years before transferring to Georgia Tech. “I’ll have two bachelors degrees in five years – one in physics from GCSU and one in engineering from Tech,” explains Larson.
A bright future awaits Larson, thanks to his diligent efforts over the past four years. He crafted a 4.0 GPA in high school (97.81 average) with a perfect average this year in engineering and near perfect averages in economics and AP calculus. He was recently granted the Zell Miller Scholarship, which covers 100 percent of tuition not covered by the Hope Scholarship at Georgia institutions. He qualified for the Miller Scholarship thanks to an SAT score that exceeded a combined 1200 on the math and reading portions. That impressive achievement proved standard fare for Larson, a three-year veteran of the math team, who also authored a perfect writing test score. Larson’s parents, humbled by his success, point to early prodigal thinking.
“Micah analyzes and thinks about things,” says his father Jeff. “When Micah was little, he always liked to play with my keys. He would go to the door and try to put the house key in the door. And that was right after he started walking. He never really crawled, just kind of went from a military belly crawl straight into walking. So I guess he picked up really quickly that keys go into locks.”
Growing up, Larson played numerous sports, though golf was not among them. He played soccer through his sophomore season and participated in baseball only through his freshman year. Though the latter experience wasn’t an overwhelming statistical success, Larson closed that chapter of his sports career with a bang. “I played varsity and started the first couple of games behind the plate,” he says. “My only hit was a grand slam at McIntosh County in which we run-ruled them in four innings.”
On the gridiron, Larson provided a glimpse of the stardom to follow when as a freshman, he quarterbacked the Pierce County junior varsity to a 6-1 record. The following year, he started all 12 varsity games at QB and helped lead PCHS to its first region title in 16 years. He also earned All-Region (2nd team) honors and set school records for passing yards and touchdown passes.
Despite missing several games to injury at the start of his junior season, Larson was once again a piston in the Bears’ offensive engine. He passed for two touchdowns and rushed for three more scores in 2012 while averaging 4.0 yards per carry. He also caught 13 passes and averaged 8.4 yards per catch as the Bears hung consecutive region banners for the first time in school history.
“My freshman year was enjoyable,” Larson explains. “With JV, there’s not as much pressure. I grew up a lot my sophomore year. It’s really a rush playing on Friday nights, a rush that you don’t get from anything else.”
By the time football kicked off his senior season, Larson had decided to hang up his cleats and he ultimately spent the majority of those school days at Okefenokee Tech. When he reversed course this spring in favor of a full school day at PCHS, Larson once again embraced sports. He went out for golf despite having never played before and he was welcomed with open arms.
“I picked up a golf club for the first time last spring break, though I couldn’t tell you why,” notes Larson. “I think it was me, Blake Aldridge, and Mason Bodenhamer that played one day. I liked it and I couldn’t even hit the ball then. I figured that if I could ever figure out how to hit the ball well, I’d really have fun. I can hit it now with no whiffs.”
“Micah is the kind of player that coaches enjoy coaching,” says PCHS head golf coach Stuart Stipe, who also served as one of Larson’s offensive coaches in football. “Micah is very motivated and has the work ethic that makes him successful. His ability to lead provides him the opportunity to be an example to his peers. Micah is a winner.”
Larson has also been a champion of charitable causes, including the Special Olympics. “It’s neat working with those kids. Seeing them go out there and have a good time – that’s what it’s all about,” says Larson, who is older brother to sisters Micaila, a sophomore, and Lauren, a sixth-grader.
“Micah is an excellent example of what a sibling should be as far as his respect for his sisters,” notes his father. “He is very in tune to what is going on with them. He’s not overbearing, but he cares about them.”
During his junior year Larson also worked with youth at the Patterson Recreation Department. “Micah works really hard and is very intentional,” adds his mother Christa. “He really enjoys making other people feel good about themselves. He would always do the baseball and football camps working with the younger kids. He just wanted to give back to the little guys and to the community.”
Larson’s mother also notes his more playful side, which lies beneath the surface of the competitor. “He has a silly side,” she says. Larson. “At school and with sports, you don’t always see that because he is so driven. Micah is a high achiever, but he loves to make people laugh. He has such a way of turning things into something funny to lighten the moment.”
Aldridge attests to the aforementioned fact, saying “In ninth grade we were playing Bradwell Institute. On my first play of the game I caught a halfback pass, but got tackled at the 2-yard line. In the next huddle Micah ragged me – and he still does – for not scoring.”
Larson says there are plenty of folks to thank for his success, but he particularly appreciates the support he has gotten at home. “My parents always held me to a high standard,” he says. “They knew I had the ability to do well in school and they pushed me and motivated me. They made sure I didn’t sell myself short in any way.”
After bridging to Georgia Tech, Larson will choose a specific engineering field. He’s considering aeronautics, citing an intrigue for aviation. Beyond that, the sky is the limit, pardon the pun. His wish list of future employers includes NASA, Boeing, and Lockheed-Martin. He also has specific designs for his legacy at PCHS.
“I just want to be remembered as a hardworking, respectable student-athlete who stood up for his beliefs,” says Larson.
Athlete/Southeast/May, 2014
Micah Larson
Pierce County High School
Blackshear, Georgia
Story by John DuPont
Photography by Jennifer Carter Johnson
Bears’ Larson Proves ‘You Can Go Home Again’
