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Good Sports
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Apr 17, 2025
In this episode of Good Sports, we're celebrating some of the tri-state's finest high school athletes. Jennifer Williams shows you the stories of a rising track star making a name for himself in the Bronx, a young woman being lauded for her flag football skills, and much, much more.
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Right now on Fox 5, celebrating the Tri-State's top high school athletes
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The minute you walk in the gym, I was like, she's going to be special. The determination and drive to succeed
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Who inspired me is my mom, you know, to keep pushing and do better. That's propelling these students to the top
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He's just always looking out for me, always wanting me to get better. Fox 5 presents Good Sports
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Hello, I'm Jennifer Williams. We've got several inspiring stories to showcase throughout the next half hour
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We start in the city where a rising track star is making a name for himself in the Bronx and beyond
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I caught up with Nicholas Seeley, the 2025 New York State Boys 300 Meter Dash Champion
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as he competed in the 31st annual Hispanic Games at the iconic Armory in Washington Heights
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It started as a way to honor the Hispanic community here and the heritage in Washington Heights
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and we love bringing people to the community and giving them the best experience on the track that we can give them
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The two-day event, hosted at the Nike Track and Field Center at the legendary Armory in Washington Heights
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features thousands of student-athletes from the area competing in everything from sprints to the pole vault
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We are considered the fastest track in the world, and we love having our high school students
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I'm just grateful to have this track at home. This year, Nicholas Seeley, a senior at Harry S. Truman High School in the Bronx
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enters the competition after a stunning victory at the New Balance Championships
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where he dominated the 400-meter dash with a scorching time of 48.58 seconds
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Despite having met track legend and fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt, Nicholas says he looks up to his mother Valerie the most, pictured here on the left
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Who inspired me is my mom, you know, to keep pushing and do better
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She's been through a lot, so, you know, I'm just out here to try to break her proud. Now under the bright lights of the armory
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Celie is joined by his fellow Mustangs for the sprint medley. We have a great chemistry
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All of us come from the Caribbean, you know, we're Jamaicans. We work together, we push each other, you know
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I'm the captain, I make sure everybody is situated and everybody is on track. These four boys, they work really hard
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The team led by a coach who was once a star herself and is now a guidance counselor
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I love it because I just feel like I never left. So, yeah, it's pretty cool
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You know, I love it. I really do. The team won their heat and came in second overall in the sprint medley
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And according to coach, the team is just as successful in the classroom as they are all honor students
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Another standout in the Bronx is being recognized for her flag football skills
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She's been leading her team since she was a freshman while also excelling in the classroom
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Above everything, I'm passionate. In the Bronx, one quarterback is changing the game
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Cecilia Cece Beecham, a senior at Bronx High School of Science, has been named one of eight finalists for the NFL's Latino Youth Honors Program
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Getting this amazing award for who I am both as a Puerto Rican woman and as an athlete
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and saying that those two things are so important to my identity
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Cece has been the captain of her flag football team since she was a freshman
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I am captain of all three varsity sports that I do here. I do tennis, basketball, and flag football
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and then I also play rugby outside of school year-round in a club. Her senior flag football campaign kicked off in March
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and in three seasons so far for the Wolverines, Beecham has 45 career passing touchdowns
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I'm so passionate about not just the sport and not just playing it, but teaching others the game, showing our community and showing our country
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and the world what this sport means to us. Her strengths, definitely her intelligence and her tenacity
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She's tenacious on the field. She's extremely competitive. She wants to win, and she refuses to lose in any capacity
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Including the classroom, where the senior council president maintains a 4.0 GPA
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Well, she's a normal kid. You never tell she's going to Yale. She's been accepted to Yale
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She's very engaging. She gets it. She laughs. She can tell jokes. She accepts jokes. She's just a super kid
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Coach William O'Hara nominated CeCe for the award, and she represented the AFC East on behalf of the New York Jets
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In October, she even got to attend a game at MetLife Stadium
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Oh my gosh, it was incredible. I'm so grateful to the Jets. They've done so much for me
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Just being there and seeing Hispanic excellence on the field was so surreal and is amazing and inspiring
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Even better, Cece and company got to take in the Big Easy earlier this year
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and her father, who first taught her how to throw a spiral, accompanied her to the big game
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He's been a part of my inspiration, a part of my success story with being on all these sports teams
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and the fact that I now kind of get to make his dream come true and like take him to the Super Bowl and like we got to do that together CeCe was a runner for the prestigious award receiving towards college
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A once-in-a-lifetime experience for some young basketball players in Harlem who recently got to play alongside Knicks legend Larry Johnson
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Duarte Geraldino spoke to some of the teams about a coaching session
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they'll never forget. This is the same drill I did, same drill that Steph Curry
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and Jalen Bronson did. It's the same drill we all did to make it
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Former Knicks forward Larry Johnson is also known as the iconic Grandmama from his legendary commercials
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Now watch this, now watch this. He's now passing down his skills to about 100 teens
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at the Harlem YMCA's weekly teen night out. This clinic is about more than basketball
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It's about learning the teamwork and discipline needed to excel both on and off the court
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Is there one particular skill you're hoping to pick up from Larry? Maybe IQ
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That's really important for basketball players, having higher IQ, knowing what to cut
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15-year-old Amadou was looking forward to this night for weeks. The pickup runs are amazing, getting better at basketball, playing against older guys
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The Teen Night Out program offers teens a safe space to learn, play, and connect at YMCAs across the city
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During Teen Night Out, we have recreation time just like this. We also have STEM activities
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We have a podcast program. We have arts and crafts and also a team talk
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The basketball clinic is part of the Junior Knicks program. It travels to different neighborhoods
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Each student left with an autographed Junior Knicks t-shirt and a key lesson
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Is it a particular shot? What are we looking at? They shoot enough
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Look, nobody's trying to play defense. My main thing is playing defense. So I tell the youngsters all the time, everybody want to be Steph Curry
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Why is defense so important in life? Well, you got to be prepared for everything and anything
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You're not going to be always successful. Everything's not going to go your way in life all the time
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So stand your toes, pivot, and take your shot. Coming up, she's a leader on and off the court
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Meet the high school senior helping revive North Babylon's basketball program. We don't let anyone break our bond as a team
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And it's a connection like no other. We have an advantage over most opponents, just like with our chemistry
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How twin brothers are elevating each other's game when Good Sports returns
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On Long Island, the North Babylon girls basketball team had quite a run this past season
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making it all the way to the quarterfinals and helping them lead them there
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A high school senior who made a strong impression as soon as she joined the team
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The minute she walked in the gym, I was like, she's going to be special
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Get that, get that. Four years ago, head coach Matthew Giannelli took over the girls varsity basketball program
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at North Babylon High School. He knew right away one freshman was built just a little bit different
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She sat in the back of the room nice and quiet, and I go, any questions? And she raised a hand, and I go, yes, she's like, 9th Raiders allowed to play on Ball City
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So I said, if you're good enough. Jasmine McKay would go on to be a four-year starter and was named team captain as a sophomore
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Now, as the lone senior on the squad, Jasmine is very confident in the team's chemistry, which she helped to cultivate
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Family on six, one, two, three. And me. Four, five, six. And me
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Unbreakable. We don't let anyone break our bond as a team. She's just a constant leader
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This after the Bulldogs won just four games after Jasmine's freshman year
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But she's elevated the talent around her. It's a dogfight out there
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Everybody's going for the same goal. We just have to go 100% harder
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Her IQ is just on another level. You can see that the game almost slows down for her
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She can see who is open before they even know what they're open
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Assistant coach Nicole Manzella had stepped away from the game when Gianelli urged her to come back to a program that's reached states
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and produced plenty of D1 talent. We've even had many of our alumni come back
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They're excited. The community is excited. The teachers are excited. This group is actually breathing life back into our program again
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hopefully bringing it back to its old glory. Meanwhile, for the second straight year, Jasmine is leading all of Suffolk County in scoring
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Her career at North Babylon, earning her a full ride at the University of New Haven
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It was just a dream come true. Like, she don't have to pay a penny for me to go to college
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So that was really my goal, to just make my mom proud. It's a family affair at Great Neck South High School on Long Island
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where twin brothers help the boys' basketball team remain undefeated through the regular season
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Despite sharing a lot of the same DNA, they each bring their own individual skills to the court
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At Great Neck South High School, a pair of twins are trying to make history by setting their sibling rivalry aside
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Sometimes we get mad at each other, but at the end of the day, we're teammates, but not only teammates, we're brothers
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We have an advantage over most opponents just like with our chemistry Seniors Johnny and Jesse Rogendorf have led the Rebels to a perfect 20 regular season record They just the competitiveness is unbelievable
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That's what makes them so good. The fraternal twins also complement one another as well
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Johnny is a 6'5 forward. Jesse is a 6'1 guard. Johnny inside game
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I mean, that's where he does his best work. And Jesse can handle the ball
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He can go to the rim. He can shoot the three. and Johnny, he can shoot the three and he's selective when to take it
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so he's good that way. And rebounding him, blocking shots, he's just an inside presence
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and a rim protector for us. Since we're in different positions, like him being a flashy guard
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me being a bigger guy that plays down low, I feel like having two different positions really differentiates us
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Johnny averaged a double-double while Jesse is the leading scorer for the Rebels
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and has over 1,000 career points. The brothers' intensity setting the tone for the team's run
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It's definitely special. Something I'm not taking for granted. You know, I love him being there. Just like always pushing each other
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Jesse is younger by just two minutes. And growing up, Johnny had no problem reminding him either
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But the pair have a mutual respect for one another. He's just always looking out for me
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Always wanted me to get better. Next year, the twins hope to keep their tradition going
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We're looking at some Sunni schools upstate and other schools upstate. It's very special
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You know, something that doesn't happen so often. So, you know, we're just looking forward to it
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A basketball player from Carl Place is following in his sister's footsteps and his mom's, too
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As Jody Goldberg shows us, shooting hoops and setting records has become a family tradition
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From high school varsity in eighth grade to captain by tenth, Ryan Leary, now in 11th grade, just scored his thousandth point for the Carl Place Frogs
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There we go! Slam dunk success most never achieved. When I'm in the court, my mind's just clear
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It's just score, pass, do the right thing. With the exception of Ryan's three sisters, Erin
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I did it in 2020. Amanda. I did it in 2022. And Kaitlyn
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I did it December of 2023. Who all play college basketball now
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I saw all three of my sisters do it. And once this year came, I'm like, I can do it this year
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And as the saying goes, the Learys got it from their mama, Karen
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who, yes, got the ball rolling when she hit 1,000 back in 1989
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From when they were born, they had the basketball and the soccer rattle
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as soon as they were literally in the hospital. Athleticism runs in the family
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Karen and her husband, Patrick, are both phys ed teachers. There is no pressure. Find something you're passionate about and go for it
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Patrick's involved with coaching, but the only difference between him and the rest of them is something he's well aware of
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I have been told several times that I am the only one in the household that has not scored a thousand points
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They're all far better athletes than I have always. Out of the four kids, Ryan got to a thousand points and fewer gains than his sisters
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And he's on track to beat the Carl Place record of just over 1400 points
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No matter how many people they put on him, they put a box and one on him, it doesn't matter
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He's going to score. Many players don't even hit the 500 mark or even 250 points in their career
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But who wins these days? It depends on who you ask. A few years ago, my sister would kick my butt
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I beat him now. Ryan hopes to one day see his name on the wall. I think he can play at the next level
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As for Karen, regardless of where her kids' careers go, she already considers them winners
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I couldn't have write this ending in my book. If I knew the future, this would be, like, just perfect
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Up next, the star athlete who got a personal phone call from Bill Belichick
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When I got the offer out, me and my family, we were really excited
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Why football isn't the only game he'll be playing at UNC next year. It's a dream come true for one local senior who will play football for the North Carolina Tar Heels next fall for a legend
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But that's not the only win for this star athlete. he's also earned a spot on UNC's lacrosse team
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If Bill Belichick wasn't the head coach at UNC, I don't know if this pans out the way that I did
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It was almost like the stars fell in line for Gary. Coach Joseph Minucci says the staff at St. Anthony's pushed for over a year
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to find an opportunity for senior Gary Merrill to play both lacrosse
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and football at the collegiate level. The search was over when a future Hall of Famer with a love of lax talent
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took over for the Tar Heels. Finally, when Belichick got hired, he had an opportunity to go down there in January
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and everything just fell into place. And here we are, and he's going to be playing both football and lacrosse down at UNC
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and the story's yet to be written down there. I definitely thought I was a lot stronger in lacrosse
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I had a pretty good junior year in football, but I didn't really know if I would get any big offers from it
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And then senior year I had a big year and then UNC called so I knew I would want to play both in college too Merrill is inside La Crosse number two recruit in the class of 2025
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Keep moving those trees! But the dual-threat quarterback had a breakout senior season
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completing almost 70% of his passes for almost 1,800 yards and 19 touchdowns
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On the ground, Merrill was just shy of rushing for 2,000 yards with 32 touchdowns
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and his 51 total TDs set the school's single-season record. The performance earned him Gatorade New York Football Player of the Year honors
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and a personal call from Belichick. When I got the offer out, me and my family, we were really excited
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You know, I grew up wanting to play football in college and always dreamed of it
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He's an ultimate competitor. You know, he doesn't want to lose when the ball's in his hands
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He wants to score a touchdown on every play. And Merrill's time suiting up for the Friars, no doubt, prepped him for the next step
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The footwork for the lacrosse guys is really second to none, and it's really paid off for him, and it's going to pay off for him down the road too
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We play the best competition in both sports in New York, so I think it really has given me the best opportunity to succeed in college
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Like his career at St. Anthony's, Gary will play both sports at UNC
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but the school is now converting his lacrosse scholarship into a football one
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It's been crazy. I committed for lacrosse, I think, in November of 2023
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and then I've always wanted to play football in college, and I got the opportunity to visit in January of this year
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and then I got the offer, and I'm really pumped up about it. Gary says his biggest inspiration is his father, who taught him many lessons
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Among them, the hard work pays off. My dad always told me that if I continue to train and continue to get better
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would always be good enough to play. So I really just listened to him. I had some self-doubt in my junior year
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and I knew I was going to be good senior year, but I had some self-doubt, and I just believed in myself
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and it worked out. Still ahead, they haven't hit high school yet
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but this youth football team from Brooklyn, already national champions. It feels really good
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We have the whole entire community out there that's supporting us, and it feels really good
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Meet the Mo' Better Jaguars. next. Before we go, we want to look to the future
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They're not high school athletes just yet, but Brooklyn's own Mo' Better Jaguars
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already have a lot to be proud of. The youth football team from Brownsville
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now national champions after winning the Pop Warner Super Bowl. Our Jessica Formoso was there
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as the city honored them with a ticker tape parade. The team meeting at the field where they practice
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Neither the cold nor the snow stopped these 8- and 9-year-olds from having their moment
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Time to shine! Time to shine! Surrounded by their coaches, family, community members, and the NYPD
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they took off Dumont Avenue, holding their trophy up high for everyone to see
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I feel like our hard work paid off very much because we came to Florida with a purpose
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and our purpose was to win, and we stood on business, and we whipped them, and we came back, and now we got the trophy
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and now we're showing off medals, and at the banquet, we're going to get our rings
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The Mo' Better Jaguars, who play in the Division II, won the Pop Warner Super Bowl down in Florida, becoming national champions
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It feels really good. We have the whole entire community out there that's supporting us
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and it feels really good. The Jaguars had an undefeated season. But their trip to the Super Bowl almost didn't happen
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And that's because the team couldn't afford to go to Florida to compete
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They needed to raise $47,000. The community rallying behind the boys to make their dreams come true
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Dreams that culminated here at home with a well-deserved parade. I just feel really emotional
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I feel really happy. They let the team, like us, have our space, have our fun
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Because we deserve it. We did what we had to do. If the Yankees can have a ticket tape parade going down Broadway and Liberty
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then the Mo' Better Jaguars in Brownsville can have a ticket tape parade. For years, there's been a partnership between the Mo' Better Jaguars
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and the New York City Police Department. We have our youth coordination office in the 73rd
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They come out here when they're practicing. They offer their support, their help, and their guidance
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It's a team and community. That's what public safety is about, the cops and the community coming together and helping these kids
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The Mo'Better Jaguars say next year they will be going for another win
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I'm Jennifer Williams. That wraps up our special, but you can find more good sports stories on our website, fox5ny.com
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And we'll look forward to putting other local teams and student athletes in the spotlight
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Thank you for joining us
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