A+ Athlete: Blakely Esnard, Gunter

GUNTER, Texas (KXII) -This week’s A+ Athlete is Blakely Esnard of Gunter High School.

Blakely is ranked third in her class with a 5.52 GPA. She is academic all-district in basketball. She’s a member of National Honors Society and spends most of her time working on dual credit courses for college. She’s a volunteer for Special Olympics and serves her community through tutoring youth.

“Blakely is a great student athlete. She has really set the bar high for future students, not just girls basketball players, but any student-athlete,” said Jill Dodd, Gunter literature teacher. “She knows how to bring her best not only the court, but the classroom as well.”

“Within myself, I have always wanted the best for myself. I just always wanted to succeed and say, if I get this grade, I want to do better,” said Blakely Esnard, A+ Athlete.

On the court, Blakely is a first-team all district point guard. She has led the Gunter girls basketball teams deep into the playoffs with her steady play in the backcourt. Blakely also runs cross country where she has been named newcomer of the year. She’s one of the best pure shooters and passers in the area, all while being a coach on the floor. Blakely says that relationships is on e of the primary reasons she plays the game.

“It’s fun. It’s motivating,” said Blakely. “I have made all my friends through sports. I have amazing coaches that I model myself after. Other people is the reason I do it.”

“She is a coaches dream,” said Gunter girls basketball coach Katie Stinton. “She is the type of kid that you want representing your program and being the poster child for your program. She exemplifies everything you want in a student-athlete.”

Copyright 2022 KXII. All rights reserved.