Antwan Brown Jr

At the age of six, Antwan Brown Jr was introduced to the game of football by his cousin. Instantly, he fell in love with the hitting that comes with the game.

After a prolific little league career, he’s worked hard to make a smooth transition from playing with kids his own age, to playing against opponents ranging from 14 years to grown men.

“You’re not just playing with your own age group,” said Brown.” “You’re playing with people older than you, and more experienced than you. So you just have to learn as you go.”

Although very young, Brown is already receiving interest from division one colleges.

“During the summer I went to a football camp and got offered by Arizona,” said Brown. “It was good because I want to be able to make my parents proud, and I think football is a good way [to do that].”

But college is a few years away, and he’s decided to focus on the rest of this season, doing whatever he can to contribute to Garfield Football.

“My goals are simple. I just want to get some sacks and tackles, and protect my quarterback,” said Brown. “I hope to make it to the state championship, because in little league I won multiple championships, and I want to do the same in high school.”

With all this early success, the sky’s the limit for Antwan Brown Jr.

Greta Laesch

Although cross country isn’t her main sport, Greta Laesch has found herself at the front of the pack during her races. With cross country skiing having priority, Laesch hadn’t thought about running on the

pavement. That was until Lily Hayes, a current senior captain of the team, asked her to tag along on a run.

“I’m good friends with Lily Hayes and every time she would come over to our cabin she’d tell me to go run with her,” said Laesch. “I was like oh, this is really fun to do itself, and decided to join.”

Although she didn’t start out a runner, running is in her blood. Her dad, who’s been running for decades, is in his 50’s now and is still working on getting a sub-five mile. Like her dad, hard work and dedication is something in Laesch’s blood.

“We do running every day except for Sundays [and] workouts 2-3 times in the weight room. It’s definitely hard work but it’s worth it,” said Laesch.

But due to an early season injury, her training has been cut down and she’s been focusing on rehab.

“It’s really not fun watching people run. I’ve only ran two meets, and then I got a stress fracture, which sucks,” said Laesch.“But my goal is to recover in time for metros, so I can qualify for state.”

Although Garfield’s girl’s cross country team are in first place of their league even with her absence, they’ve definitely missed the presence of do-it-all runner Greta Laesch.

Lena Beaufait

Starting varsity freshmen year is a big deal anywhere, no matter what the sport. This is a feat varsity left back, Lena Beaufait has conquered for the Garfield girl’s soccer team.

Leading up to the season, the team held captains practices open to anybody wanting to be on the team. As usual athletes do, Beaufait went into them nervous.

“There [was] a ton of people I didn’t know. They helped a little bit but it was extremely nerve-wracking,” said Beaufait.

But even with the butterflies, Beaufait played her game, impressing everybody watching, including senior captain Carlin Bills.

“Lena is a really dedicated person,”  said Bills. “She holds her own on the field, physically and mentally, which is impressive for anyone, especially a freshman. Lena is a really good girl and extremely talented and I can’t wait to see where soccer will take her.”

Although the future is very bright for Beaufait, she is focusing on enjoying the present.

“I definitely want to play soccer in college, and after college if possible,” Beaufait said. “But for now I just want to stay really focused as a team and continue to work well with each other. I hope to make it to state, and learn as much as possible on that journey.”

Beaufait has everything you want to see in not only a great athlete, but a person as well. With experience already as a freshman and the tools to have a great high school career, you may see Beaufait in headlines for years to come.

Jane Fix

Standing at 6’1”, it isn’t hard to see Jane Fix.  But she’s someone her opponents wish they wouldn’t see when they play Garfield volleyball.

“I started playing volleyball when I was 12 years old,” Fix said. My dad played a little bit of volleyball but it was my height that got me into the sport.”

Her height is something she uses to her advantage very well, often getting up and above the net, spiking balls down on scared opponents. She routinely does this, and has impressed Junior Moya McKinney.

“She’s a very kind person on and off the court. She learns very quickly and she keeps a positive attitude no matter what,” said McKinney. “She’s very fun to play with and it’s impressive that she made varsity as a freshman.”

Fix sees herself having a legitimate future with volleyball, with her goal being college volleyball.

“I want to get a scholarship to a college for volleyball and hopefully be able to play for the USA team,” said Fix.

But even with these goals down the line, she wants to stay grounded.

“I just want to play and win. I hope we can make it to state [this year].”

Jane definitely has all the right qualities to help the girl’s volleyball team make a run at state and to reach her post-high school goals.