A+ Athlete: Jace Sanders, Whitesboro

WHITESBORO, Texas (KXII) - This week’s A+ Athlete is Jace Sanders from Whitesboro High School.

Jace holds a 4.1 GPA, is ranked eighth in his class, and is a member of the National Honor Society. All while also being a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and volunteering for Meals on Wheels.

“He’s very serious about the subject matter and I think he’s smart,” said Whitesboro English Teacher Bernadette Orr. “I think that he shows a respect towards the material that I just really appreciate. I think he’s got a very bright future ahead of him and I can’t wait to see what he does.”

“I know that sports aren’t always going to be there for me, it’s just a short period of my life that’s pretty special to me,” said Sanders. “But putting my academics first has led me to a brighter future, I feel like, setting myself up for success now is going to help me in the long run.”

Jace is just as successful in his athletics as well. Competing as a four-sport athlete for Bearcat Athletics. In football he was not only a team captain but was also first team all-district at linebacker. On the track, Jace is a district champion in the triple jump and a regional qualifier in the 4x4. On the court, he’s been named second team all-district. and on the diamond, he earned honorable mention to the all-state team for Bearcat Baseball.

“He leads by example. He might not be the most vocal person all the time, he is when he needs to be, but he leads by example,” said Whitesboro Boys’ Basketball head coach Toby Sluder. “That to me is more important than sitting here yelling and meaning nothing because when he says something it’s the truth and he means it. It’s like when he wasn’t playing, it’s like having another coach on the sideline.”

“I learned a lot of lessons playing sports, a big one that coach Fagan introduced to us pretty early is this isn’t the end of your life,” said Sanders. “You’re going to go out and do bigger things and sports are just here to make you a better person and teach you how to do things the right way.”

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