Wharton baseball player Mike Hudson with one of the children who insisted he play sports with her while he was in Thailand this past summer. (Photos courtesy of Mike Hudson)
When talking about an up-and-coming baseball prospect, the chatter always comes down to the âtoolsâ a player has in his repertoire: Is he fast? Can he hit? Howâs his glove?
Wharton High senior first baseman and designated hitter Michael Hudson has a number of the tools college coaches look for, so much so that he has been offered a chance to play baseball at the college level next year at nearby Saint Leo University near Dade City.
However, it was a whole different set of tools Hudson relied on for two weeks last October, as he and his father, Scott, joined other members of Cypress Point Community Church on a mission trip to Thailand. There, the Hudsons and other volunteers spent a week working at a local orphanage in Chiang Mai, addressing the serious building and rehabbing needs of the girlâs dormitory.
Hudson said he split his days hanging new lockers, replacing doors and windows, and sanding and repainting interior and exterior walls. But, because he was one of the few workers under 25 years of age, he often found himself being pulled away from the work by the young children of the orphanage to play sports â often finding himself challenged to foot races.
âThe smiles on the kidsâ faces when they saw me, because I was with a bunch of adults, was really special,â Hudson says. âThey knew I could run, so they made me run a lot. They were 12-hour days and Iâd spend about six hours building, sanding or painting. The other six hours Iâd spend playing with them.â
Mike Hudson and his dad, Scott.
Hudson said the trip was a great experience, both because it gave him a sense of accomplishment in providing care to the facilities at an orphanage, as well as getting to spend some quality time working beside his father, Scott, who owns and operates ServiceMaster of Tampa Bay, a contracting business that specializes in emergency rehabs of flood, fire and mold damage.
âThe thing that stood out for me was how me and my Dad connected throughout the trip,â Michael says. âHe is busy at work and I have school and baseball, but this was two weeks we were able to spend together, building our relationship up.â
Although the work in Thailand was the first official building project the younger Hudson has undertaken, itâs far from his first time showing off his handy side.
At Wharton, Hudson has never shied from helping with field upkeep, being labeled as the go-to guy by baseball head coach Scott Hoffman for projects like putting up the windscreen around the baseball field fences, or replacing the tires and the netting on the batting practice roll-cage.
âHeâs our resident construction guy here at school,â Hoffman says. âHeâs a big help to this team, a great student and a tremendous leader for our program.â
For Hudson, the sense of challenge and the resulting feeling of accomplishment is what he enjoys most about any creative project.
âWhen you start a project, sometimes you start to think, âOh wow, Iâm never going to get this done,ââ he says. âBut you keep working super hard at it and you finish it up. I always get that tingling feeling that makes me appreciate what I was able to do.â
On the field, Hudson was a key contributor last season as a junior, hitting .312 for the year with 15 RBI and 12 runs scored, while serving as the Wildcats 1B/DH. He began his career at Wharton aiming to play shortstop; however, a series of injuries changed those plans and led to his transition to first base.
âWe thought he was going to be our guy at shortstop for the future when he came in as a freshman, but he ended up blowing out his right knee,â Hoffman says. âHe came back from that and hurt it again, then came back and dislocated his shoulder, but he never once complained. Heâs been through hell and has the best attitude in the world.â
For Hudson, the injuries were no different than any other task put in front of him to accomplish.
âInjuries happen to all athletes, you just have to put your faith in God,â Hudson says. âYou do what you have to do. You fight, you just work harder.â
Playing baseball at the professional level is still Hudsonâs dream, and he plans to study business at Saint Leo with the hope of working in athletics. He doesnât see a career in construction or contracting in his future, but he says he hopes the desire to build and create will always be a part of his life.
âBaseball is going to be that number one goal for me after college,â Hudson says. âBut at Saint Leo, I plan on majoring in sports-related business and would look to work for some (professional) organization, so I donât really see construction as a career path for me at this time,â Hudson said. âBut Iâll never be paying anyone to do anything once I get my own house, Iâll always be doing that kind of stuff myself.â
Promising newcomers: Ryan Fry (Fr, RHP) and Michael Rivera (So., LHP).
Breakout Star: Dubbed by Hoffman as the teamâs âBen Zobristâ for his incredible versatility on defense, junior shortstop and infielder Grady Maguire opened last season on a tear with hits in 10 of the first 11 games. He finished his sophomore season hitting .357, with 20 runs scored and 12 RBI.
Outlook: District runners-up last season and riding a streak of four straight regional playoff appearances, Wharton will again bring a highly-talented team to the table this season.
The Wildcats will be led by senior pitcher and outfielder Brian Baughman, who burst onto the scene last year by hitting .398, more than 100 points better than his 2017 batting average, scored 26 runs and went 6-3 on the mound with a 1.94 ERA and 60 strikeouts.
Sophomore Zach Ehrhard had an impressive varsity debut last year, hitting .371 and scoring 20 runs, while Mike Hudson (see story on previous page) had 15 RBI and Dylan McDonald drove in 14 runs, including one in each of the teamâs last four games.
Freshman pitcher Ryan Fry hasnât even thrown a high school pitch yet, but he already has made an early oral commitment to the University of Miami this winter and may make an immediate impact on the mound for theâCats. Lefthanded sophomore Michael Rivera transferred in from Alonso High, where he did not see any varsity action.
Hoffman says: âOur seniors like Brian (Baughman) and Mikey Hudson are guys we lean on a lot and they show how about we go about our business around here… the younger guys see and follow them.âÂ
Tieley Vaughn, pictured here with USF coach Ken Eriksen, has already orally committed to play for the Bulls in college. (Photo: Twitter)
WHARTON SOFTBALL
Coach: Brittany Bonea
Last season: 15-7, Class 8A, District 4 runner-up
Key returners: Jordyn Gendron (Sr., 3B); Jillian Long (Jr., P/OF); Hana Schwindler (Sr., P/2B); Tieley Vaughn (So., SS).
Promising newcomers: Riley Collins (Fr., P/2B/OF)
Breakout Star: A University of South Florida oral commitment as a freshman, Tieley Vaughn is a powerhouse hitter according to Bonea, who also boasts a cannon of an arm from shortstop. Last season, Vaughn was the leading hitter for the Wildcats amongst the regulars, hitting .352, with six doubles, 12 RBI and 15 runs scored.
Outlook: The Wildcats, 2-0 so far with a pair of shutout wins, cruised through district play last season, going 6-0 in the regular season, before winning its district tournament semifinal game against Wiregrass Ranch.Â
In two regular season games against Freedom, the Wildcats outlasted the Patriots.
However, in the district championship Wharton hitters were held to just four hits in a mercy-rule loss to Freedom, and then knocked out of the state playoffs 14-0 by East Ridge.
Despite the end-of-season stumble last year, Bonea, a former Saint Leo University player, has steered the Wildcats to three straight District championship games, and four straight winning seasons since taking over the program in 2015.
Wharton loses four of its top five hitters due to graduation, but will regroup offensively behind solid crop of returners.
Senior Jordyn Gendron (.306, 19 RBI and 10 runs scored in 2018), Hana Schwindler (.292, 12 runs scored) and Vaughn will key the offense.
Junior Jillian Long returns to the mound for her junior campaign after posting a 13-4 record last season, with a 3.33 ERA and 44 strikeouts. She leads the team with three RBI in two games this season.
Bonea says: âOur goal this year is to make sure that the players take their mental game as serious as their physical game.âÂ
Tripp Merrell, Freedomâs fourth baseball coach in as many years, hopes to finally turn Patriots baseball into a winning program. (Photo: Freedom Revolution).
FREEDOM BASEBALL
Coach: Tripp Merrell
Last season: 6-16 (1-5 in Class 8A-4)
Key returners: Mitchell Leroy (Sr., RHP), Jeremy Carrick (Sr., SS), Kevin Kirby (Jr., 1B/RHP), Brylan West (Jr., 3B/RHP).
Promising newcomers: Sebastian Burgess, Sr., Util/P; Jack Richardson Sr., OF
Breakout Star: The Patriots success this season will be highly dependent on pitching ace Mitchell Leroy, and according to Merrell the senior righty is just fine with that pressure. Mitchell is a workhorse on mound, who Merrell says is a âbig-game pitcher,â who loves the limelight and wants to have the ball in his hands for the biggest game.
Outlook: Merrell is the fourth new baseball coach in as many years at Freedom, and he is tasked with turning around a program that has had only one winning season, back in 2012. A Sickles High grad and former college player at Webber International University in Babson Park, FL, Merrell will likely lean on Leroy, who was 2-4 last season.
However, the Hillborough Community College oral commitment posted a 2.88 ERA, with 59 strikeouts in 56 innings. He is 6-foot-3, and boasts a fastball that gets up to 90 mph.
Jeremy Carrick, a four-year starter committed to NCAA Division IIIâs Norwich University in Vermont, will play a pivotal role on defense and will look to be a leader at the plate after scoring a team-best 16 runs last season, while juniors Kevin Kirby and Brylan West (the top returning hitter with a .267 average) will contribute at the plate and on the mound this season.
Returning for their final prep seasons after two years away from the program are seniors Sebastian Burgess and Jack Richardson, who Merrell hopes can be impact players this season for the Patriots.
Merrell says: âWe have a tough schedule and Iâm happy about the teams we played in the fall. And in most of those games, we hung in there and I feel like those things prepared us for this tough district. Come (district tournament) time you only have to win one game to advance, but I know every team in our district.”
Kylie Coffin already has two homers and nine RBI in two games. (Photo: Dan Sidwell, Freedom Revolution)
FREEDOM SOFTBALLÂ
Coach: Autumn Hernandez
Last season: 19-6 (Class 8A-District 4 Champions, region semifinalist)
Promising newcomer: Kylie Coffin (Jr., P; see photo)
Breakout Star: A speedy runner with a great ability to read the ball off the bat, sophomore Lilly Kiester is already one of the best outfielders in the county according to Hernandez. As a freshman, Kiester scored 26 times last season and hit .333.
Outlook: Freedom is already 2-0 and have outscored opponents 34-6 in its first two wins, a year after claiming its first softball district title last season. The Patriots hope to build on that with a junior-heavy lineup, but one that returns a lot of starting experience. For Hernandez, leaders like Ellis Erickson (.442, 19 RBI, 21 runs, and six doubles in 2018) and senior Abigail Vandeberg (.361, 20 runs, 17 RBI) will be crucial to the success for the Patriots, who are still adjusting to some defensive realignment heading into the start of the season.
Erickson, who already has a homer and four RBI and has already orally committed to play in college for Northern Illinois, is the âheartbeat of the teamâ according to Hernandez and is the field general from behind the plate.
The Patriots biggest boost on defense, however, might come from its most crucial new edition â Carrollwood Day School junior transfer Kylie Coffin. Last season while pitching CDS to the Class 3A regional final, she posted a 17-9 record with a 1.90 ERA and 156 strikeouts. Relying on a nasty screwball and a solid curve, she will immediately take over the heavy lifting on the mound for Freedom, and she is no slouch at the plate after hitting .487 with three home runs and 32 RBI for CDS.
In two games, Coffin is making a serious impact, going 5-for-7 at the plate with two homers and nine RBI, and has struck out 13 batters in seven innings pitched.
Senior Abigail Vandeberg makes the move from first base to shortstop this season, filling a key role defensively for the Patriots, and returns solid numbers at the plate after hitting .361 with 17 RBI last season.
Hernandez says: âWe are a small team this season with just 11 players, so we are moving a lot of players around the field this season. To fill some holes, Iâve had to move some people to new spots, so there may be a bit of a learning situation taking place early on. But I think we are getting better every day, and once we get into district play I expect us to be ready.â
Outlook: Merrell is the fourth new baseball coach in as many years at Freedom, and he is tasked with turning around a program that has had only one winning season, back in 2012. A Sickles High grad and former college player at Webber International University in Babson Park, FL, Merrell will likely lean on Leroy, who was 2-4 last season.However, the Hillborough Community College oral commitment posted a 2.88 ERA, with 59 strikeouts in 56 innings. He is 6-foot-3, and boasts a fastball that gets up to 90 mph.Jeremy Carrick, a four-year starter committed to NCAA Division IIIâs Norwich University in Vermont, will play a pivotal role on defense and will look to be a leader at the plate after scoring a team-best 16 runs last season, while juniors Kevin Kirby and Brylan West (the top returning hitter with a .267 average) will contribute at the plate and on the mound this season.
Merrell says: âWe have a tough schedule and Iâm happy about the teams we played in the fall. And in most of those games, we hung in there and I feel like those things prepared us for this tough district. Come (district tournament) time you only have to win one game to advance, but I know every team in our district
Tennis players Kanishkh Ramesh and Destiny Okungbowa (left) and soccer players Jake Bierhorst and Malcom Lewis (right) flank their coach, Dave Wilson (center).
Tampa Bay is littered with high school coaches who have built sports dynasties, at places like Plant and Armwood for football, Tampa Jesuit for baseball and St. Petersburg Lakewood for basketball.
Rare, however, is the coach who not only builds one dynasty, but simultaneously builds two.
In fact, the only boys soccer and tennis coach Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) has ever known, Dave Wilson, may be in a class by himself, especially in Pasco County.
Wilson, who also is the schoolâs athletic director, has guided the boys soccer team to the state playoffs this season and the Bulls havenât dropped a regular season game to a Pasco County opponent since January of 2013, a streak of 50 games. That run includes five trips to the Regional playoffs, including a State semifinal appearance in 2015.
Last month, Wilsonâs Bulls beat Steinbrenner 2-0 for the 200th win of his career.
Meanwhile, the tennis team, which opened its season Feb. 12 against Cypress Creek, has been even better. The Bulls are currently on a 125-match regular-season winning streak, including 96 straight wins against Pasco County competition since a loss to Land OâLakes in 2010. That run includes State championships in 2014 and 2015, as well as a runner-up finish in 2017.
Kanishkh Ramesh (and his brother) have been a part of the Bulls long winning streak.
When it comes to playing its local competition, the taste of defeat is an unfamiliar one for Wilson.
âI think about it, but I donât think our guys think about it all that much,â Wilson says with a chuckle, adding, âexcept for the fact that I donât think they want to be the team that has that first loss to a Pasco opponent.â
An Athletic Background
Wilson is a Falls State, NY, native, who grew up as a multi-sport athlete and attended the State University of New York (SUNY) College at Cortland (aka Cortland State) in Cortland, NY, where he was a regional All-American soccer player, played basketball and competed for the track team in the triple jump.
Competition has always been a part of Coach Wilsonâs life. But coaching? He says that is, and always has been, where his true passion has burned.
âI never wanted to do anything other than coaching,â Wilson says. âMy brothers both took great jobs and make lots of money, but that was never a draw for me.â
He adds, with a chuckle: âDonât get me wrong, Iâd love to be rich and everything. But, I enjoy every day of my life, coming to practice and going to the games. When youâve been an athlete all your life, and you still get to wake up in the morning and say, âAlright, itâs game day,â there is nothing better than that.â
Wilson, 54, got his first coaching experience as a senior in college, when he joined the Tompkins Cortland Community College (in Tompkins, NY) basketball staff as an assistant, he moved from there to SUNY Binghamton (in Binghamton, NY) where he was the head womenâs basketball and soccer coach for 10 years, before moving to Florida to serve as the head womenâs basketball coach at Saint Leo University outside of Dade City beginning in 1999.
However, after a few years at Saint Leo, with a wife and young children, the travel for games, long hours and recruiting trips started to wear on Wilson.
He knew he wanted to make a change, so he stepped down from coaching at Saint Leo in 2002 and spent four years as an elementary school physical education teacher. The itch to coach competitively, though, never went away, and when WRH opened in 2006, he jumped at the chance to get back into coaching.
For someone who sees coaching as a calling, there can be no bigger challenge than launching a program, building a tradition and finding success. Wilson got that chance when he took the job as both the boys soccer and boys tennis coach at the new school.
And success? That has not been a problem for Wilson and his team at WRH. He says that winning never gets old.
In the Bullsâ dramatic 3-2 District 5A-7 semifinal win Jan. 30 against second-seeded Plant, Wilson got caught up in the celebration after Justin Amis scored the winning goal with roughly 30 seconds remaining.
âI think I hurt my ribs,â he said, laughing. âIâm getting old.â
The next night, the Bulls gave Wilson his first district title since 2015 with a 1-0 overtime win over No. 1-seed Steinbrenner. The Bulls eventually bowed out of the state playoffs this season in the second round.
Off The Field Success, Too
Success for Wilson isnât just what happens on the field â it comes in the legacy of a program, its growth, its traditions. The biggest point of pride, according to Wilson, is seeing those early players return to give back to their former programs, while his current players buy into the athletic culture they are helping to shape.
âThe continuity of our program and the consistency started with the first group, that group being around for four years, set the bar,â Wilson says. âThey started coming back after they graduated for summer stuff and supported the guys they left behind.â
âThatâs so important having those players come back and let the younger guys know what this time here meant to them. Letting them know that the memories they had of high school (athletics) was the most fun they had and thatâs trickled down. Every group after them has tried to raise the bar another level.â
(l.-r.) Devi Ndrita, Jori Ndrita, Malcom Lewis, Maurice Lewis, Camilo Torres and JP Torres pose with the District Championship trophy the Bulls won on Jan. 31. It was the schoolâs first district title since 2015, a team Devi, Maurice and JP all played on. (Photo courtesy of The Wiregrass Ranch Stampede school newspaper.)
Chris Madden, a member of Wilsonâs first soccer team at WRH in 2006 and the current Competition & Development Director for the United Soccer League, remembers the first year of soccer at the school, playing without a senior class, and the struggles that squad had to overcome. Even then, Madden noted, the players knew Wilson was preparing them for successes ahead.
âWe had a rough go that first year, but Coach Wilson, in all the years I played for him, always instilled a desire to be our best,â Madden says. âI think that is rare these days. I think he really understood the desires of young players and how to make them want to play and become better players.â
Four years later, the Bulls soccer team won 18 games, finished as the District runner-up and made the programâs first state series appearance.
For Madden, it was Wilsonâs dedication to the kind of people his players would become, that shines over their successes on the field or courts. That, he says, is what has brought him back to his alma mater for the last 10 years to help out as an assistant coach for the Bulls.
âGetting to coach with him for about the last 10 years has been really important to me, because if I were to give credit to someone for helping me in my career in soccer today, Iâd credit Coach Wilson, for sure,â Madden says. âYou can tell he cares about you off the field, and when you are looking for someone to be that mentor, thatâs very important. He made us want to play for him.â
Wilsonâs third âcoachingâ job at Wiregrass Ranch comes as the schoolâs athletic director, and he approaches that position the same way he does his role as leader to his student-athletes.
âMy belief, and what I preach to all of our other coaches here at Wiregrass Ranch, is that the experience has to outweigh the outcome,â Wilson says. âYou can win a state title, but if you are being screamed at and made miserable the whole time, then itâs really not worth doing. We really focus on things so when these kids look back on their high school athletics in 10 years, this really was the best time of their lives.â
TAMPA â Unlike early-Decemberâs lopsided, 19-point Wharton victory, Friday nightâs boys basketball matchup between Freedom and the Wildcats was a back-and-forth affair, fitting of the neighborhood rivalry atmosphere on display in the Patriotsâ gym.
Everything that went wrong in the first meeting for Freedom — an early deficit that steadily grew, slip-ups on defense and poor decision making — has disappeared since the Dec. 4 meeting. The Patriots responded with an eight-game win streak leading to the rematch, including a tournament victory in the Calvary Christian Shootout over the holiday break.
Friday, they made it nine-straight. After four fourth quarter lead changes, Patriot senior Xavier Betancourt stepped back from a pair of defenders to create space and drained a three-pointer with less than 10 seconds remaining to give the Patriots a 51-49 victory.
The win pulled Freedom into a first-place tie with Wharton in Class 8, District.
âThe first time when we lost (to Wharton) we didnât really play like ourselves,â Betancourt said. âWe came in nervous because of how packed and loud their gym was; this time we were prepared and hungry inside, wanting to let everything out.â
Freedom (12-1, 8-1 in 8A-8) drew the game to a late tie at 46-all as Kevin Rodriguez (game-high 17 points) drained a three-pointer.
Jasper Floyd shoots over a Freedom defender.
Then with under a minute to play, the last swing of momentum to go Whartonâs way came via an impressive Carr Thiam (nine points) rejection of a Freedom layup attempt under the basket, and a breakaway basket-and-1 from Salim Richardson.
However, Freedom and a boisterous home-court fanbase was not to be denied as Trevian Hinson converted a late foul into two free throws to pull Freedom within 49-48, and Betancourt finished the lead changes with his game-winning three-pointer.
âWe used that loss to Wharton as motivation since that game, just like weâve been motivated by the good things that have happened since,â Freedom coach Ken Angel said. âAnytime we play Wharton, itâs an emotion-filled game. These guys are neighborhood buddies, they see each other all the time, and everyone wants to win this game when we play.â
Wharton (11-3, 8-1) got a team-high 14 points from Darin Green, and Jasper Floyd had 11 points in the loss.
For more on the game, make sure you check out our story in the Jan. 25 edition of the Neighborhood News.
Former Wiregrass Ranch High multi-sport standout Chris Faddoul continues to excel on & off the field at Florida A&M University, where he led the nation in punting average.
Seemingly everything Chris Faddoul did while a student at Wiregrass Ranch High led to success. A fantastic student, an on-campus leader and an athlete who excelled at football, soccer, tennis, track & field, and heck, even table tennis (as a member of the school’s ping-pong club).
But in the two years since heâs graduated and moved on to college at Florida A&M University, Faddoul has narrowed his athletic scope to just football, and the results have been spectacular — on Tuesday, Dec. 11, the Rattlersâ starting punter was selected as a first-team All American by the Associated Press.
Faddoul is the first Rattler since Leroy Vann in 2009 to be selected to the NCAA Division I Football Champion Subdivision (FCS) team.
Add it to Faddoul’s growing list of athletic accomplishments. At Wiregrass Ranch, whether it was as a captain, quarterback, kicker and punter on the football team, a district champion long jumper for the track team, a standout scorer for the Bulls soccer team, which he helped to a state semifinal finish as a sophomore, a tennis player, who went 15-0 as a senior and reached the state series tournament after never having played competitive tennis before the season began, Faddoul excelled on the fields, courts and tracks across the area.
But for his coaches, past and present, the best attribute Faddoul may have on his talented resume is his character.
âChris was genetically given the gift of great athleticism,â WRH athletic director Dave Wilson, the schoolâs soccer and tennis coach, says. âBut, on top of that, you add the strongest work ethic youâre going to find ⊠itâs just the character on top of all of it. Heâs just this tremendous person, and you look to find where this kidâs faults lie, but you just arenât going to find them. He is a coachâs dream.â
As far has his success on the football field is concerned, that has continued, as Faddoul has taken to the college ranks the past two seasons.
Faddoul was outstanding for FAMU in his 2018 season, ending the regular season as the leading punter in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
As a freshman, he averaged 39.6 yards-per-punt, with a long of 55 yards. But in his sophomore campaign, he improved in a big way, finishing the season with a 46.8-yard average on 41 punts, including 16 punts of 50 yards or better. He also pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard-line 17 times, with just seven kicks reaching the end zone for a touchback.
His per-punt average and single game average of 60 yards (against Fort Valley State, 9/1/18) are school records at FAMU.
Faddoul even took on the kickoff duties for the Rattlersâ final three games of the season, recording 12 kicks with a 56.7-yard average.
âChris worked extremely hard during the offseason to improve his technique, and he has become a critical part of our game plan each week,â FAMU head coach Willie Simmons says. âHe has been one of our team leaders (this year), and heâs a young man of high character.â
His successes at the college level were almost put in jeopardy by two leg injuries in his high school career, first breaking his leg as a junior, then tearing his ACL as a senior.
However, Faddoulâs drive for success meant the potentially career-ending injuries were mere bumps in the road.
âThose injuries, especially the ACL (tear), were either going to be the breaking point or the thing that I got past to come back stronger than I ever was,â Faddoul says. âThe senior year injury took a toll mentally. An ACL injury can be a career-ender for some players, but I love athletics and for me, there was no question how hard I was going to work to get back.â
Faddoul credits his athletic prowess to genetics from his father, Ghassan, who represented Lebanon at the 1976 Summer Olympic,s competing in the long jump and javelin, as well as playing basketball and college football in Virginia.
It was his fatherâs competitiveness that the younger Faddoul says drove his love of athletics and desire to keep competing, no matter what.
âMy Dad has always pushed me and set the bar a little higher for me,â Faddoul says. âHe always expected me to do well and then do a little bit better. I loved that push. He made me want to be better and it gave me a competitive edge that made me drive to be my best.â
Meanwhile, Off The Field….
It wasnât just the athletic fields, tracks and courts where Faddoul excelled as a leader. He also was a standout student at WRH, something he also has continued at FAMU, where the sophomore is focused on his major in Biology and carries a 4.0 GPA with plans to attend dental school.
He also has served as president of FAMUâs Special Olympics planning club. Faddoul garnered some national acclaim when a video surfaced of him his senior season at WRH, gifting a football-team signed helmet to his classmate Andrew Hayne â a friendship Faddoul has maintained since middle school.
âAndrew has been a friend since middle school,â Faddoul says. âEvery time I saw him in school back then he would yell, âFad-doodle,â at me, run at me and give me a hug. Weâve been great friends since then. Heâd look for me each Friday so I could give him my jersey to wear for the (school) day. It was always special for me to see him there supporting me each game.â
The character part of Faddoulâs makeup also includes a maturity that is impressive for a 19-year-old. When he made his choice to attend FAMU, over his other college football scholarship offer to attend Valparaiso University in Indiana, he showed maturity beyond his years.
âObviously, Iâm a Caucasian attending an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities),â Faddoul says. Although that didnât play a role in my college decision, I was a little worried that I might impede, or interfere with the other students who were coming here to immerse themselves in the cultural experience of attending an HBCU. But, this experience couldnât be better. Everyone, from the coaches, to the faculty, to my fellow students, have welcomed me with open arms. Iâm really at home here.â
