Three Sports, One Goal: A Senior Season to Remember. By: Ryan Fletcher
High school has flown by, and as Jace Blake enters his final season of playing sports, the moment is both exciting and bittersweet.“ Entering my final season of playing sports is heartwarming,” Blake said.“ All the work that I’ ve put in and all the memories I’ ve made will always be something I’ m grateful for and will carry with me forever.”
For as long as Jace can remember, sports have been a major part of his life. He has competed in football, basketball and baseball, beginning travel baseball around the age of eight and starting football and basketball at school in the third grade. His ability to balance three sports comes from years of developing strong time-management habits.“ My mom has always taught me to manage my time well, and that is why I believe that I excel in all three sports,” he said.“ Finding time has become natural. I’ m in the weight room year-round, which not only helps with football but also with other sports.” Each sport has challenged him in a different way.“ All three sports challenge you differently, both physically and mentally,” he said.“ Football is the most physically demanding because of the contact aspect, and baseball is the most mentally challenging because it is a game of failure.”
Blake points to baseball as a perfect example of the mental toughness required to succeed.“ If you succeed three out of 10 times in the MLB, you will most likely be a Hall of Famer,” he said. Basketball brings its own physical demands, particularly because of the number of games played throughout the season.
Among his many memories across three sports, several stand out. His favorite football memory came during his second varsity game as a freshman, when he returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown to seal a playoff victory over Quitman. In basketball, his favorite moment came during his sophomore year when his team upset Manila in the district tournament to advance to regionals. On the baseball diamond, one of his proudest moments came during his sophomore season when he closed out the conference championship game against Harrisburg, securing the number one seed for his team.
Although he loves competing in all three sports, football requires a different level of preparation.“ I feel like I have to be more mentally prepared for football games than I do baseball and basketball,” he said.“ The weekly preparation for football is much greater than baseball and basketball.”
Heading into his final football season, his goal is simple: win a state championship.“ My expectation this year is to win state,” he said.“ I believe if we all buy in, then that expectation will happen.”