SuburbanOneSports.com recognizes a male and female featured athlete each week. The awards, sponsored by Univest, are given to seniors of good character who are students in good standing that have made significant contributions to their teams. Selections are based on nominations received from coaches, athletic directors and administrators.
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Female Athlete (Week of Nov. 21, 2017)
You never want to break a bone as a competitive athlete, but for Brittany Gable, a broken arm provided the exact moment of clarity she needed to discover her true passion. Gable, a senior at Council Rock South, just wrapped up her fourth varsity season for the school’s cross country squad. She will also participate in indoor winter and outdoor spring track, but once upon a time Gable played soccer, a sport that takes place during the same season as her now beloved cross country. “I enjoy soccer because it’s very competitive,” Gable said. “It just kind of hit me that I didn’t want to risk any more injury, and I knew I enjoyed running a lot more than soccer after I broke my arm. It was kind of a turning point for me, and I knew it was time to drop soccer and focus on track and cross country.”
Gable was by no means a running newbie, as she had run at the middle school CYO level for St. Bede’s in Southampton. But it wasn’t until her high school years when she became flat out addicted to it. “For me a run really becomes amazing when you forget it’s a run,” she said. “You’re just going with it, and your mind completely clears and nothing is holding you back. Sometimes it’s easy to forget the simplicity of life and how beautiful all of that can be. Running opened up that mindset for me.”
Gable’s cross country coach at CR South, Joan Thornton, noticed pretty much immediately that she had a special one on her side. “She’s not all about how she races or performs as an individual – she cares about the entire group process,” Thornton said. “She’s very gracious and mature about recognizing the accomplishments of others. She’s good about talking to teammates, calming them down, giving pep talks when they need one. She was a cross country co-captain and was recently voted a captain for winter track by her peers. It’s a true measure as to how they regard her.”
It was a season to remember for Gable and her teammates as they won the SOL National Conference title as a team. “Just having your teammates to push you through races when all you want to do is give up – that was amazing,” she said. “The moment we found out we had won as a team was an unforgettable feeling. We were on top of the world. “
Competing in track and cross country is just a small piece of Gable’s life. She is a member of the National, Spanish, English and Science honor societies and serves as president of the Math Honor Society. She’s a peer mentor captain at CR South. Gable, who holds a 4.4 GPA with distinguished honors, has her sights set on a career in medicine, more specifically pediatrics. She’s eyeing schools with strong pre-med programs as well as one that will also let her keep running competitively. Her list of prospective colleges includes Quinnipiac, the University of North Carolina, Lehigh and Jefferson University with the latter two serving as frontrunners.
To read Gable’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/brittany-gable-0074229
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Nov. 21, 2017)
Trevor Watts is a gifted offensive lineman, one of the SOL’s very best. A four-year varsity player, the Souderton senior turned himself into an impact player on the defensive line as well. He also handled the punting duties this fall. “He did everything for us,” coach Ed Gallagher said. “This year he didn’t come off the field.” While there’s no mistaking the senior captain’s talent on the gridiron, that’s just a fraction of what sets Watts apart. Talk to either one of his coaches – Watts also is a key member of the Indians’ basketball squad, and trumping even his immense talent is his ability to lead. “He was definitely our best leader,” Gallagher said. “He’s the kind of kid that could have been a two-year captain if we didn’t have such good leadership in last year’s (senior) class. He has a really good mindset about what’s important. His work ethic is outstanding, and he’s a good football player on top of that.”
Souderton’s football season did not follow the script Watts or any of his teammates had hoped for this fall. A 3-7 record after last year’s trip to the district playoffs was disappointing, but if there’s such a thing as a happy ending to a season that doesn’t meet expectations, it came when the Indians upset a playoff-bound Central Bucks West squad in the final game of the regular season. “It spoke volumes listening to the kids talk about him after our last game against West,” Gallagher said. “We got in huddle after the game. Most of the seniors said something, and some of the underclassmen got up and said something. Pretty much the recurring theme was – ‘Trevor, we love you even though you’re pretty hard on us.’ ‘Trevor, we love you even though you’re really hard on us.’ That’s all it was over and over again. He always tried to hold them to the standard he had.”
Ask Watts about his leadership style, and his thoughtful response suggests a level of maturity well beyond his years. “I learned very quickly that you can’t just expect things to happen,” Watts said. “Not everybody has the same drive as you might. I tried different leadership styles throughout the season. At the end of it, I just realized – you have to be understanding to the people’s circumstances, you have to know when to have fun and when to crack down. With the week 10 win (over CB West), I think that shows me and my other captains that we were able to find what it took to get everybody on board.”
While football is his passion, Watts also excels on the basketball court. He was the Indians’ second-leading scorer last season, and his 6-2, 265-pound frame gives the Indians an imposing presence in the paint. But again, that’s secondary. “What stands out for Trev is really his leadership qualities,” coach Tim Brown said. “He’s far above his age, and he’s almost like another coach for us. He’s the hardest worker there is. He pushes people, but he also knows when to be empathetic. He reads people very well. Colleges need to understand that he’s a glue guy. He can add value to any program.”
Watts, who plans to major in business/economics, will continue his football career at the collegiate level although he has not made his final choice.
To read Watts’ complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/trevor-watts-0074237
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