Haters are going to hate and can try to paint any kind of picture they want, but I wouldn’t be where I am in life without the Wolfpack football program and all the lifelong lessons Coach Bennett taught me! I live each day with the mentality of “every day is a great day” because of the fantastic program Coach B created! I am now a chief test pilot, contracted to fly for the Army and Air Force and use so many of the things I learned from the program. I just want to say I love you and thank you for being the man you are!

Patrick Rohrbach - class of 2021

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I most definitely want to thank the coaching staff here at GHS for being so incredible and loving—not only toward me, but toward every kid they work with. I genuinely believe the best teachers I’ve ever met in my life are in this room, and they have impacted me in ways that will stay with me forever.

Stitch — You’ve always been a bro. Despite the yelling and up-downs we’ve endured this season, you’re one of the nicest people I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. You care so much about this team, but more importantly, you care about your guys. You’ve not only spoken about brotherhood and its importance, but you’ve shown it through your actions and compassion for others. Thank you for believing in me.

Rigler — You’ve taught me so much, not only about football, but about how to carry myself as a man. You don’t understand how much I respect you, especially because of the way you treat the guys you work with in this program. You consistently show your love to the people you get to coach and always bring the best out of anyone, without prejudice. I’ve learned so much from you about toughness, grit, and using my teeth, as well as how to stand up for my brothers and be there for the people who are important to me. 

Kerianne — Thank you for taking care of this team as if they were your own children. Every team has someone who fixes players’ boo-boos, but no one does it at the exceptional level that you do. You have a special relationship with everyone you work with, and that’s something you can’t teach. I’ll admit, it got really annoying when you didn’t want me to play after coming off surgery. To be fair, I was only two months into a five-month recovery, but that’s not a big deal. Who needs a labrum, right? But seriously, I don’t know how you manage it all and still give 100% to everyone, no matter the circumstances. 

Coach B — You seriously are a great man, and someone I aspire to resemble one day. You’ve taught me about character, but most importantly, you’ve shown it and put it into action. It was cool learning how to “out-hit” people in life, but what I think will be even more important is learning how to “out-character” people, and you’ve taught that so well to me and to every player in this room. You bring a spirit into every room you walk into that says, “It’s a great day to thrive,” and it’s incredibly contagious. 

As I leave a chapter in my life—football—I have very mixed emotions about it. When the season was starting to wrap up, my main emotion was sadness. Although I’m content with accepting that football won’t be a part of my routine anymore like it has been for the last 10 years, it’s still very difficult to watch it go and say goodbye. It’s been with me my whole life, and it scares me to imagine my future without it. But as time has gone on, I’ve realized that it is for the best. All good things do come to an end, but the values I’ve gained won’t, and neither will the memories I’ve made. There was a point early in the season when I had accepted that I just wasn’t going to be a dominant football player, and I was okay with that. Instead, I gained a love for watching my teammates—especially the ones younger than me—exceed and grow. As the season went on, I felt more like a proud parent than anything. I watched a lot of these guys turn from boys into men in a single season, and that’s something I’ll never forget. Nevertheless, I’m still excited to see what my life has in store for me, and I’m ready to move on from what has been a central part of my life for as long as I can remember. Through this entire journey, I’ve learned and grown so much, and I hope to take as much of it with me as I possibly can. Go Pack!

Jacob Blue - class of 2022