Garrett Stanley is the perfect example of why the Bridgeport football program is competing at the highest level now and has been for many years. Stanley was asked to switch positions during the summer, he was asked to more to the interior line at offensive tackle, from the tight end position.
That means that Stanley knew from that day forward, his name would never be in the newspaper. He's never grace a box score with a catch or touchdown. He'd forever join the fraternity of linemen, who can easily be forgotten in a football world where the players with the big numbers and high scores turn heads.
His response to the coaches when asked to make the switch?
"Anything that will help the team."
The state's best lineman is also the states best teammate, we'll can it the Justy Award. Congrats Garrett, the trophy is in the mail.
Maybe we're looking at his move inside the wrong way. Sure, his name would never be in the box score. But make no mistake, he would be apart of the box score every night. He was able to look at the large numbers put up by his teammates and take pride in the fact he was an anchor to a line that helped the Indians rush for 4,434 yards with 59 rushing touchdowns.
This young man's "team first" ideal is the reason why the Bridgeport Indians are my front-runner for the 2012 AA state championship. While Stanley won't be back to help with that run, there are a ton of other guys with the same attitude on the team. They'll switch positions at a moments notice because they all believe that teams win championships, which is an astonishing achievement considering today's "me first" youth.
Stanley selfless move shouldn't go unrecognized. He won the award in a land slide, with six of the eight first place votes. He again reinforces the idea to underclassmen that they are apart of something bigger than themselves. And finally, he got his name in the paper.
Congratulations Garrett on a job well done.
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