He doesn’t talk much, and when he does, he doesn’t waste his words. Maybe that is one reason running is so comfortable to Karif Nunes. When he runs, words aren’t necessary.
The Midland Middle School eighth-grader is a three-sport athlete. He took up soccer about the age of three and has loved it from the very beginning, mostly because of the running. It is the first of the sports he played for the Jaguars and continues to be his favorite. This school year, he followed up soccer with a new venture into the world of middle school football, and currently the 5’9”, 145-pound athlete is running track at MMS.
Three sports are “doable” at the middle school level. It is often a time in young athletes’ lives to explore multiple sports before reaching high school and narrowing down to the sport that best fits. For Nunes, he knew soccer was a sport he wanted to play at Midland, but when he started school in the sixth grade, he chose a very unusual path for an athlete with a passion for a sport.
“I took a year off. I felt like I needed to focus on the adjustment of being in middle school, so I didn’t play sports. My grades had fallen off. I needed to work on getting them back up,” says Nunes.
Although his parents supported him, the talented athlete says the decision was his own. He talks about that time in a very matter-of-fact way that suggests it was a logical choice. As he entered the seventh grade, Nunes was back on strong academic ground and ready to be a student-athlete.
In Muscogee County, public schools list soccer as a fall sport at the middle school level. Nunes started off his second year at Midland going out for soccer and enjoyed a great season as a center back for the Jaguars soccer team. The team made it all the way to the city championship game but lost to Double Churches Middle School. He skipped winter sports and decided to put his talent for running to good use as a participant in track and field.
Last spring, Nunes ran the 1600 meter, the 800 meter, and was the third leg in the 4×400 meter relay. Nunes saw the season as a learning experience.
“I had not been in track before. I really liked it because I was running and using running to push my body to the limits,” he says.
He learned the 1600 meter event was his favorite, although he found the physical endurance to run it to be a challenge in the beginning. One surprise to him was how much the sport involved a mental approach. Staying focused while running a track event was far different that running in soccer, which has more action to break up the mental thought process.
When Nunes played soccer this past fall as an eighth-grader, he was moved upfield and given the position of striker. Even now, he becomes just a bit more animated talking about the season. The Jaguars got to the winners circle again and this time closed the deal, defeating their opponents to become city champs. It was a great time in his life, and he liked the idea of being part of a team.
When one of his two older brothers suggested Nunes try out for the football team, the 14-year-old didn’t hesitate.
For his efforts, Nunes was placed on special teams as a kick returner. He also saw a little time as a running back and a bit of defensive work as a linebacker. The season was not a victorious season in terms of winning games, but more than anything, Nunes enjoyed being part of the team. Midland is a school that has a close-knit feel for its students, according to Nunes, and sports teams are always filled with friends.
With both soccer and football behind him, track season is now Nunes’s focus as far as athletics is concerned. He added long jump and dropped the 800 meter from his list of events. Going into the spring, Nunes says he has been preparing for track based on last years’ experience.
“I knew I needed to work on my endurance and also work harder in each event. Track is big in middle school, and there are a lot of good athletes. Football players, basketball players, and others use track to stay in shape, so there are some good athletes out there that I will be competing against,” says Nunes.
Taking a year off to get academics at the top of his priority list didn’t hurt Nunes’s athletic endeavors. He is now a solid “A-B” student while participating in three sports. His favorite class is technology, and he is hoping to one day pursue a college degree in engineering.
Before then, he would like to play soccer in high school but hasn’t made a decision about which high school. It is the sport he favors, and in high school he would be able to play it in the spring, which would probably remove track as a potential high school sport. That doesn’t seem to be a problem for Nunes, resorting back to being a man of few words.
“Soccer, it is my first love.”
Getting to know Karif
Family: Parents, Mike and Madge Nunes; two brothers, one sister
Pets: A dog named Precious
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite place to eat in Columbus: El Carrizo
Athlete he admires: Cam Newton
Music he prefers: Hip-Hop
Hobbies: I like to fix things.
Favorite television show: I like Discovery Channel
Favorite team (college or professional): Oregon
Person he most admires: My dad
Best thing about attending Midland Middle School: You know almost everyone and fit in.
Columbus Valley/Rising Star/April 2015
Karif Nunes
Midland Middle School
Midland, Georgia
By Beth Welch
Photos by Jerry Christenson
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