On November 7th, I went to look for an athlete to spotlight from the South High Football Team. After discussing with the coaches, we had agreed that Jasper Fritz is a student-athlete that deserved to be spotlighted due to his hard work on and off the field.

Here is an interview with him:

What motivates you to do well in class and on the football field?

Jasper: What motivates me is really just like visualizing my future and knowing that if I do good on the field and off the field, that can give me opportunities that a lot of other people don’t have and I’m surely trying to do good for myself and the team.

Why did you choose to come to South when you live in the Doherty district?

Jasper: Good question. So growing up playing youth football, I played with Coach Mike [aka Mr. Maldonado, Instructional Assistant of the Special Education Department} since I was ten years old, and when I heard that he was going to be coaching here, I immediately put in my special permission. Yeah, it has definitely changed my life; I could not imagine where I would be without Coach Mike, and without coming to South, life would be totally different. I might not even be playing football, I love South.

What aspects of football do you get most excited about?

Jasper: Oh, definitely defense. Defensively is where I really get excited. Offense is a totally different game in my eyes. Nowhere else can you get the opportunity to go up against someone and try and stop them. And there’s no better feeling when you get a tackle in open field, or just lay a hit on someone. So defensively, that’s how I see the game and everything.

What do you plan to do after high school?

Jasper: After high school, I would love to go to college and play football, but, right now, I’m still thinking about things and I’m really not totally set on what I want to do. I don’t really have any career set right now. I have some ideas; I know what I’m interested in. Right now, I really don’t have a set path that I’m one hundred percent going on. I just like to go out and play football. That’s what I’m trying to do.

How would your coaches and teammates describe you?

Jasper: I think they describe me as crazy because the energy I bring when I’m on the field is someone that no one else does and I really get hyped up, I really get energetic; I’m passionate about football and that’s something that I bring everyday. So really passionate and that shows itself in crazy ways, I’ll be yelling and screaming during practice and during the game and most people don’t do that. That’s what I think they would describe me as.

What do you think makes you a good football player?

Jasper: What makes me a good football player is that I’m very passionate and I’m willing to show up every day. That’s really a lot of what football is: showing up. If you show up and you have the heart for it, then you’ll be good at it. That’s why I believe that I’m pretty good.

What do you like about being a player on the team?

Jasper: I like the camaraderie of playing with these guys. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be playing football, and it’s like a family here. I’ve been playing with Coach Mike since I was ten, and I love all these coaches, all these players. We have a lot of heart all throughout the team. That’s why I like being a player here.