Golf, Baseball
Favorite athlete: Colin Morikawa
Favorite team: New York Giants
Favorite memory competing in sports: My first varsity at-bat
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: When I ran into the fence and the ball fell out of my glove over the fence.
Music on your playlist: Simple Man, Lynyrd Skynyrd; Wish I Knew You, The Revivalists; Mr. Brightside, The Killers; Scar Tissue, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Future plans: Study Cybersecurity at University of Maryland
Words to live by: “Never settle.”
One goal before turning 30: Break 70 in the game of golf
One thing people don’t know about me: I started playing baseball as a righty, but I play lefty.
By Craig Ostroff
Ryan Petrie’s efforts and his leadership on the baseball diamond and the links proved how valuable he has been as an athlete and a leader for Council Rock South’s baseball and golf teams.
But Petrie’s athletic endeavors are just a small fraction of the legacy he will leave behind.
“We try to tell our players - they have an opportunity to have an impact, there are people who look up to them,” said Golden Hawks’ baseball coach Greg Paprocki. “When you play a high school sport, the community follows it, alumni follow it, Little League follows it. Ryan has seized the opportunity to be a leader—he’s really had an impact here. As a coach, you’re really proud to say that a guy doesn’t just leave your program, but leaves it with a legacy. People will always talk about Ryan Petrie, how mature he is, how driven he is.
“But it’s not just in athletics. Every person that Ryan has worked with, everyone he’s played with, teachers he’s had … Ryan has an impact on and leaves a good impression with everyone he comes across. His reputation will forever be a positive one. When he leaves, Council Rock South will have become a better place than it was before he got here. That’s the kind of kid he is and the kind of impact he’s had on his teammates, his school, and the community.”
Between playing two sports, maintaining stellar grades, and being a part of a laundry list of extracurricular activities, Petrie admittedly doesn’t have a lot of downtime.
But that’s just fine with him.
“I’m honestly happy I don’t have a lot of time on my hands. Being busy constantly pushes me to do well,” Petrie said. “The school year isn’t over. We’re making a push for playoffs in baseball, in the classroom we’re still not done. There are tests to be taken, work to be done.
“Growing up, my dad worked really hard. He’s a teacher, but he’d work jobs in the summer to help the family when he should have had summers off. Seeing that from a young age pushed me. Seeing him work so hard and be successful, it shows that if you put in the time and the effort, you’re going to come out doing well.”
Petrie is a member or officer in numerous clubs at Council Rock South, all of which have one thing in common—they’re all service organizations that exist to help and support others. He has been a part of student government all four years at South, two years as a class officer, and as class president of his junior and now his senior class.
“My parents helped set me up to want to be a part of these kinds of organizations,” Petrie said. “And my sister (Meghan Petrie) is 4 years older than me, so she went through the whole high school experience right before me. Seeing her get involved put her in a position to succeed in her life. My parents pushed me toward it, but they made it clear that it was always my decision to make.
“But I really wanted to be involved. I like talking to people and helping them. Student government has really given me the opportunity to learn and help others. We do a lot of behind-the-scenes things, especially with Senior Prom, luncheons, things like that. I’ve spent many days after school until 4, 5 o’clock or later making sure everything is set up and goes according to plan. It’s a big commitment, but I don’t regret any moment of it.”
Petrie has been an officer for two years—including Vice President this year—in the Young Investors Society. He is a member of Council Rock South’s National Honor Society as well as the Math, English, and Social Studies Honor Societies.
He serves as a peer mentor at the high school, helping freshmen transition from middle school to high school as smoothly as possible.
“The peer mentor program is one of the best opportunities the high school offers,” Petrie said. “Juniors and seniors will give tours to incoming freshmen, and every 2 or 3 weeks during the first half of the year, we go into respective classrooms and make sure the freshmen are all right and are integrating to life in high school.”
Petrie is also the President of the school’s chapter of the Travis Manion Foundation. Named in memory of Manion, a Marine who lived in Doylestown during his high school years who was fatally wounded in Iraq by an enemy sniper while drawing fire from his teammates, the organization aims to empower veterans and families of fallen soldiers to develop character in future generations.
As an organization that doesn’t just serve the school, but the community as a whole, Petrie does not take lightly his membership and leadership in the club, which works hand-in-hand with the national TMF headquarters in Doylestown.
“It’s really important to me to help veterans who did so much for me, who did everything they could to make sure I’m safe,” Petrie said. “Anything I can do to help out is important to me. I respect the military with the highest regard, so giving back and helping them is important to me.”
And during the summers, Petrie can often be found working community summer camps for baseball and golf, trying to instill in youngsters the love of the games that he developed from those who were once in the position he now finds himself.
“I’ve lived here my whole life,” Petrie said. “Living in a community that has given so much to me, it’s only fair that I give back to my community, whether that’s volunteering coaching or being a camp counselor. Being able to see the smiles on the faces of the kids … I remember when I was their age and the high school seniors and juniors looked like grown men to me. They gave so much to me, so with me being in their role now, I want to be able to give back, to do for these kids what was done for me when I was their age.”
•••
As busy as Petrie’s schedule is, he is focused on making his final months of high school and his final campaign on the athletic fields for the Golden Hawks as successful as possible.
Coming off a fall season that saw him earn SOL Second Team honors and being named co-MVP of the Hawks’ golf team, Petrie entered the spring as one of the experienced leaders on a South baseball team loaded with freshmen and sophomores.
As such, he and his classmates would be counted upon not only to contribute on the field, but to help mold the young team into a cohesive unit.
Fortunately, the Hawks had just the right guy in just the right spot.
“The underclassmen can see in Ryan a guy who knows his job and does his job,” Paprocki said. “Ryan’s not worried about hitting the home run, he knows his role and knows how to help the team, that’s why he’s such a tremendous player for us. He’s one of our top hitters, one of our top guys on base. He leads by example, does all the right things in practice. He’s really stepped up in that role. He knows who he is and where his strengths are.
“Ryan is absolutely one of the top guys on our team, someone kids can look up to in the classroom, in the community, and on the field. He’s the type of kid that not only the players but the coaching staff admire.”
Not surprisingly, Petrie relishes the opportunity to work with the younger players.
“I’ve always loved coaching and giving back to the younger kids,” he said. “Being in a position where they’re looking to me and being one of the guys with true varsity experience, I’m excited to help out and do what I need to so that this team continues to have success. Even though leaving in a month, I’m always going to be a part of Council Rock South baseball, and I want them to do well even when I’m no longer there.”
Petrie also shows his versatility by being able to bat at the top or the bottom of the order, and knowing what the team needs him to do no matter where he bats.
“I do like batting first,” Petrie said. “I’m not the fastest guy in the program, I know that for a fact. But I like working pitchers, fouling off balls I don’t like, I love being able to come back to my teammates and let them know, ‘His slider is good,’ ‘Watch his changeup,’ and get on and do what I need to do to help the team in best position.
“I’ll get the extra base hit now and then, but whether I’m hitting first, second, or ninth, those are not really home run-hitting positions. I’m not looking to pad my stats, I’m looking to put the team in better position to score. I would rather get on base and steal or move a runner with a bunt than try to do something for myself.”
The season hasn’t been without its setbacks for Petrie, however. He missed several games after suffering a concussion in a scary moment earlier in the season, then injured a hamstring in his first game back. But he expects to return to the field any day now as the Hawks seek to maintain a winning record and earn a berth in the District One Tournament.
“It’s hard watching the team when you can’t contribute,” said Petrie, who also missed some time as a junior when he suffered a concussion and broken ribs running into the fence while trying to snag a fly ball. “It’s great to see the team win, but it’s hard when you’re not able to contribute to that win. Especially with the playoff push right now, it’s tough not being able to play and help to get myself and my friends into playoffs, but I have all the faith in the world in my teammates, and I’ll be back by playoffs.”
It's also difficult because Petrie knows this will be his last season playing baseball at this level. After devoting 14 years of his life to the game, Petrie will leave behind varsity athletics when he heads to the University of Maryland in the fall. He may look to play club golf or baseball, but he’s heading to College Park for the academics and the opportunities that the school provides its students.
“I’m going to major in cybersecurity, so being so close to the DC area, and having things like the FBI, CIA, NSA so close to me, having that major is huge and being in that area is huge for government-based job opportunities,” Petrie said. “And Maryland is far enough that I’ll be on my own, but I’m still close enough that I can come home and see my parents and my sister.
“At Maryland, you get Big Ten sports, great campus life, a ton of clubs to get involved in. I’m looking forward to finding my spot, but I also know this is a huge turning point for me. It dawned on me quickly, what am I going to do now without baseball being such a huge part of my life? It’s rough to think about, but I’m confident we can keep this season going as long as possible.”
But even after he hangs up his cleats and heads off to college, Petrie’s spirit will be felt in the athletic fields, hallways, and the community for years to come.
“When Ryan graduates, Council Rock South is going to lose a kid who is completely selfless, who is respectful to others, and somebody who has impacted the community in such a selfless way,” Paprocki said. “When you do things the way Ryan Petrie does, you begin to build a reputation with teammates, with teachers, with administration in the school, and with people in the community. The way he is as a student and a hard worker, someone that younger kids would look up to and admire, Ryan has been exactly that guy for us.
“Personally, I love Ryan like a little brother. Ryan shows the team how to do things the right way. He never misses a practice, never shows up late to practice. He shows you can have success in the classroom and on the field and be involved in your school and your community. He shows them the right way to do things, not only in baseball, but also in life. We have a very young team full of freshmen and sophomores, and he’s going have an impact on those kids. He should be proud. Even when he’s no longer here, I don’t know if we’re completely losing him, because the legacy he’s built will be around for a long, long time.”
