The clock still ticks despite the football game long over at 10 p.m. on a Sunday, Benji Stephens, a sophomore football player, stares down a pile of assignments he missed during Friday’s away game. He joins many student-athletes putting in extra hours to ensure their grades match their performance on the field.
According to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), student-athletes earn higher grades, graduate at a higher rate, drop out of school less frequently and score higher on the state assessments than non-athletes.
“This year and the past year, I’ve found that my grades haven’t taken a blow because of football,” Stephens said. “I got extensions for assignments and I just had more work to do on the weekends to catch up.”
Evan Clauer, a junior soccer player, notes how if athletes have a more demanding class, their grades could be harder to keep up.
“This year, I had an easy sixth-period class,” Clauer said. “I can see how if you had a harder class, there could definitely be an effect on your grades from missing that class [due to having soccer games twice a week].”
Liam Freet, a sophomore football player, didn’t run into academic challenges himself, and did his best to get all his work done in class because football practice went until around 7 p.m.
“Football didn’t cause any challenges for me,” Freet said. “You just have to do as much as you can in school and after practice but make sure you get rest because that’s important.”
Stephens finds that if athletes are more motivated and willing to prioritize schoolwork over athletics, they can manage to keep the grades they want.
“If you’re not a motivated student, it’s hard to [keep your grades up],” Stephens said. “It comes down to if you do your work by the deadline and don’t procrastinate.”
Henry Willy, a senior football player, thinks back on his four years of football and notes how it was challenging at first to balance schoolwork with football.
“You have to find this balance between completing all your work while managing football,” Willy said. “To this day, I don’t think I would say I ever fully found that balance.”
Willy has a specific strategy when it comes to finding that balance during his day.
“Whenever I have any spare time throughout my day, I work on homework,” Willy said. “I feel like I’m more productive when I do that instead of doing all of it [homework] at once.”
Like Clauer, Willy agrees that if you have a hard last-period, it can be a struggle to maintain good grades while doing a sport.
“If you’re taking a hard class such as AP World History, your grades will definitely take a hit if you’re not careful,” Willy said. “You really have to find your focus, put your phone down, and get your work done as much as possible.”
Willy is thankful for how understanding his teachers have been with him missing class due to football games.
“I usually just talk to them and say ‘can I please take the test I missed on Monday,’ and they are usually pretty chill about it,” Willy said. “It isn’t too hard to make up for any missed tests or anything, which I’m always thankful for.”
Dylan Osborn, a junior soccer player and swim athlete, concludes that an athlete’s grades depend on their willingness to put in the work.
“It all comes down to how much effort you put in,” Osborn said. “What you put in, you get out.”
