Mason Milto
n received the honor of being the October Athlete of the Month. He received this because of his accomplishments in this football season. Mason is a linebacker for our varsity football team. He has lived in Graham his entire life, and in addition to football he is playing baseball and basketball this year. In Mason’s free time he likes to watch sports and film. He also likes to hangout with his friends and family.
We asked Mason what his thoughts were about getting this honor. ¨It is pretty cool, but I don’t really pursue individual accolades. I would much rather have a state championship at the end of the year.¨. During difficult games, winning inspires Mason. He likes to win, so when there is a challenge he reminds himself that winning comes at a cost. Some of Mason’s achievements are starting on varsity football since his sophomore year, receiving 1st Team All-District Awards in every year he has been on the team, and being voted on the leadership team.
We asked Mason for some advice to give to the underclassmen. He said, ¨For school, don’t drown yourself in the hard classes too much. You are only in high school once, and yes grades are important but so are your relationships outside of school. You need a healthy balance. For football, trust what our coaches are saying. They spend their time studying and scouting other teams, and they are good at their job. Film study and don’t worry about messing up. If you watch enough film, it will click, and you will understand the concepts behind offenses, and the game will become easy.¨. Mason’s biggest accomplishment is giving his life to the Lord. He said, ¨Everything we do in the world is temporary, but I believe that there will be something after we die. I believe Jesus came down and sacrificed himself in our spots to take the punishment we deserve to allow us to go spend eternity with Him.¨.
Hitting people made Mason interested in playing football. He is intrigued by the different details, plays, and formations. His position in the game helps him find joy because of the effort in studying and practicing, and watching it all pay off on Friday nights. We asked Mason’s teammate, Bennett Coley, three adjectives he would use to describe him. Bennett said Mason is smart, aggressive, and coachable. Mason has had a great season so far, and his hard work is paying off.
