Student-athletes are a part of a very skilled group of individuals, being able to balance athletics and academics. Being a student-athlete means taking time out of a busy schedule to get things done, but it also means making memories with the people you hold close to your heart.
“I’ve had a lot of friends, I’ve made a lot of relationships, and I’ve had a pretty good time so far,” Senior Captain and Wide Receiver Max Cimino said.
Time management is an important skill to Cimino, balancing both his duties as a player and captain, as well as just a student.
“I just tell myself it’ll all pay off later,” Cimino said. “I just think more long term. It might be tough in the moment, but it’ll all pay off later.”
Being on the Varsity team for 3 years, Cimino has had a very positive experience with the sport and the things that come with it.
“I’d definitely tell them to play a sport because now you build a lot of relationships with people you maybe would never talk to,” Cimino said. “I think it just builds good character and gives you a lot of good attributes.” 
However, even students that are excelling in both athletics and academics like Quarterback Trey Rivera have faced challenges, being a student-athlete.
“Definitely finding time to get schoolwork done,” Sophomore Rivera said. “I have to stay on top of school while also going to practice games and things like that. I make sure to get all my schoolwork done before going out and doing stuff outside of sports and school. I make sure I don’t fall behind in that way, and then I just make sure I show up to every practice and be able to focus on the sport while I’m there.”
While many student-athletes are known for their athletic capabilities, most people forget that they are still students, and that they are excelling at that too.
“I think a misconception could be that the student-athletes are only athletes,” Rivera said. “Especially with our team, we have a lot of student-athletes who are excellent in school, they’re top of the class while also being amazing student-athletes.”
Why be a student-athlete? Why take on so many responsibilities and commit so much time to just one thing?
“I would definitely say because I love the sport,” Rivera said. “I love showing up, I love going to practice, I love going to games. And high school sports is something you only experience in high school, so I’m going to get the most out of it while I can.”
Head Football Coach Robert Darnell has had 16 years of experience with Clement’s, the last nine as a coach.
“On the field, I think we’ve got to have a very fantastic, driven, hard off-season,” Darnell said. “Academically, we just try to make sure that we are talking about it often and we’re reminding them that they’re student-athletes. They need to take care of the student part. And for those that want to go play at the next level, A’s and B’s at Clements High School is going to have you completely prepared for any college they decide to go to.”
Darnell emphasized that kids need to put in “relentless effort” after they graduate to be successful in the future.
”You want to outwork people, so whether it’s competition against somebody, whether it’s going against your position group, you want to be competitive,” Darnell said. “When you get into the work environment, you want to be competitive. We just want to kind of create that relentless effort and such a wonderful work ethic that the sky’s the limit.” 
Coaches are always there for their kids. Whether the kids are celebrating life’s wins or thrown off by life’s losses, they know that their coaches are always there for them. Lastly, Coach Darnell shared how he feels knowing and seeing the difference that they as coaches have made on their kids. “Promoting a family atmosphere” plays a big part in that.
“That’s what it all comes down to,” Darnell said. “We’re hearing about children being born and all the different things, the life things, because we’ve built a relationship, you know. Yes, we’re coaches and teachers, but our job is to help you all get to where you want to go. We want to inspire you, we want to impact you, we want to motivate you, we want to encourage you, and we just want to help you imagine things that you can’t imagine and then let you go pursue them and let you go attack them. So, I think that’s the best part about it. The relationships that we build, it just allows us to help kids achieve so much more than what they think they can.”
