When people told me that high school would fly by I did not believe them. But, now I wish I paid more attention to their advice. Looking back, high school went by incredibly fast.
Perhaps it is because I had many great experiences as a Green High School Student. I did not start my academic career in Green Local Schools. I started at Norton Local Schools, which is just a short drive west on I-76. I moved to Green before my eighth- grade school year. It took me a little bit of time to warm up to Green because it is a really big school compared to Norton. There was even a transition period for me when I started playing football. I was initially a very shy kid, which is the opposite of the type of player I was at Norton. It was then that my dad told me something very valuable. My dad said, “That acceptance goes both ways. Have you accepted those guys as your teammates yet?” After thinking about this quote, I changed my perspective. As a result, I had an amazing football life and career for the next five years in a Green Bulldogs uniform.
To give you an idea, our senior class played in forty varsity football games, which is the most out of any class that has stepped foot on the football field at GHS. My graduating class has played in 1x final four, 2x elite eight, 1x regional champion, 1x regional runner-up, 3x state playoffs, and a 25-15 overall record. It was an amazing run with some of my closest friends and classmates. We achieved these accolades because we had so many playmakers that put on a uniform and it was easy to recognize these incredible individuals and what they did on the field.
In retrospect, when I look at the previously mentioned stats, what we did as a team is nothing short of remarkable. The relationships that I built over the years are what mean the most. I was able to play for some top- notch coaches that made a profound impact on me along the way. My coaches were able to make football enjoyable even though I wasn’t a superstar. The coaches made me feel like I was important. Because of this sense of camaraderie, I loved every moment of it and it inspired me to want to coach someday.
The academic part of high school was interesting for me. I have a running joke when I tell people that I had the greatest academic comeback of all time. Let me explain. My eighth grade year ended short due to Covid and the beginning of my freshman year began with ALL online classes. This is NOT ideal for a kid with ADD (attention deficit disorder). That’s why teachers at GHS were so important to me and I appreciate them all. For the most part, I conquered my disability for the rest of my high school years and went from a 2.3 cumulative GPA at the end of my sophomore year to a 3.3-3.5 at the end of my senior year. It does suck when you have to work for every inch that you get when it comes to academics because I’m not the smartest person, but it is truly rewarding when you finally get it done and it is a good day’s work.
This past August I lost my first grandparent Papa Tony Scheibelhoffer and he had a good impact on my life with how he impacted my dad’s life. His teachings he brought to my dad he brought to me. When he passed in August it was hard on me because that was right when my Senior year of Football was heating up he passed a week before week one of the season so there was no really thinking about him or having time with grief and that helped me lean into God a lot during that time to find the strength to keep going even though it was hard. But, I did know he wanted me to keep going because my grandfather was not an attention seeker by any means. He had a couple of inspiring quotes that I will never forget. I used them through high school and everything in my life.
“It’s better to be kind than right.”
“You have two ears and one mouth for a reason, it’s better to do more listening than talking.”
“Jealousy is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”
I do wish that whoever I came into contact with at GHS all I hope is that you remember me as a kind person and didn’t expect anything from his peers. I just want to encourage anyone reading this that try to say just one word to everyone you come into contact with and that word is just “hi”. Saying that word just maybe will save a life. Thank you for reading and Jesus loves you and so do I.