HUFFING and puffing, hitting hard, scoring touchdowns, but none of these matter when an athlete is not in the classroom. Coaches at Kearns High School value the success in the classroom that builds a strong football team. The classroom is a big part of the Kearns High School Football Team. The team has implemented an academic system that holds student athletes accountable for their academics and attendance. As a result, this has led student athletes to have better GPAs.
THIS system was created in late August at the beginning of the school year of the 2024-2025 season when captains on the team realized players were going to class late or weren’t going to class at all. This system is a huge part of the Kearns High School program that shows the commitment from players that really want to play. This shows that the Kearns High School Football Team values academics before athletics creating great student athletes.
THE tracker has affected Kearns High School football in tremendous ways. “The academic tracker allows his teammates and coaches to know that he can be dependable in the classroom and on the football field,” Marcelo Alvarado (12) said. The tracker created good habits for players by creating good habits. Players can use those good habits and translate them to the field. Also this system influences a great example for other young kids that wanna play at the next level one day.
TEACHERS at the high school love how the tracker is getting more players to class. The captains of last year’s football team implemented this system to make sure their teammates are in class. The tracker is meant to be signed at the end of the class period to make sure the student was in class the whole time. The tracker allows players to have trust in their teammate not just on the field but off the field as well.
AFTER players have filled out their tracker fully signed they turn in their tracker on game day and if your tracker is not fully signed then that player would not play that night. Seems pretty harsh but this is what this program is trying to establish a college like setting where students have to go to class THE program has had great success since the tracker system has been implemented. “Our team GPA as a whole went from a 2.1 to a 2.4 and now a 2.7,” Coach JOHN ROWBOTHAM, also known as coach Row said. “Kids who didn’t participate were below a 2.0 GPA and the state standard to be academically eligible for sports meaning being able to play is a 2.0.”
SHOWING that players that did not participate in the system were highly affected because they wouldn’t be able to play that season. “That the best number for a GPA is a 3.5 or higher because colleges provide students with a 3.5 or higher with a free education”. Coaches hope more athletes will reach this goal and succeed both in the classroom and on the field.
