On December 15, 31 out of 35 varsity Flower Mound High School football players were accepted into the Texas High School Coaches Association Academic All State program, a program open to all varsity UIL sanction sports across schools in the state of Texas.
To qualify for nomination to the Academic All State team a student must have an overall GPA of at least 92 in grades 9-11 and the first six weeks of 12th grade, must be a member of the team in good standing at the time of nomination, and be a good moral character.
“It takes a lot of hard work but it paid off,” senior wide receiver, Nathan Liebsch said. “I had to balance out football and schoolwork, and ended up taking summer classes to help.”
The team is determined by an independent group which factors in academics and the athletic talent of the student. Depending on the scores, the students are placed into four teams: elite, 1st team, 2nd team, and honorable mention.
Some players were not aware of the program at first.
“I had no idea what the program was until I made the team,” senior running back, Xavier Sykes said. “I just focused on getting good grades and trying my hardest on the field.”
The varsity football coaches submitted the information for THSCA Academic All State by December 1st, 2012, and received the results two weeks later.
In comparison to previous years, the number of students qualifying and receiving the award has more than doubled.
“I feel like we had the highest number this year because we were more committed as a team, in school, and on the field,” said Liebsch.
The award is a statewide acknowledgment and the players that received it will be given a certificate and recognized at the end-of-year FMHS Football Banquet. Although the award won’t help get into a college, it could help obtain a scholarship.
“Athletes will not be receiving money along with the award because they are amateurs,” said Nancy Morgan, Secretary to Dane Johnson, head football coach and athletic coordinator.
FMHS has been participating in this program for the past decade and hope to be able to have more students accepted in future years.
![Cade Edlein, a senior captain of the varsity football team, walks toward the sidelines during Friday night’s game against Highland Park. Cade has played football since he was in 7th grade and has worked hard for the past years to get to where he is now. “I’m sad [that] my high school career is ending, but it has been a blast, and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything,” said Edlein.](https://fmhswire.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Screen-Shot-2021-09-10-at-8.41.14-AM-e1631281500385.png)
