Hezekiah Patterson will be Hamilton’s honoree at Sunday’s George Wah Scholar-Leader-Athlete Dinner.
By Rich Fisher
Fish4scores.com
Mar. 9: It’s tough to be a starting quarterback in high school football.
It’s even tougher to do so for three straight years.
And it’s extreeeeemly tough to do that while flirting with a grade point average near 4.0.
So, just call Hamilton West’s Hezekiah Patterson tough.
Patterson is one of 22 high school players being recognized at the 56th Annual George Wah Scholar-Leader-Athlete Awards Dinner. The event, hosted by the Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, will be held March 11 at the Hyatt Regency in Princeton, beginning at 4 p.m. Visit http: //www.delvalfootballfoundation.com for more information.
Patterson was a three-year starter at quarterback for the Hornets, earning first-team WJFL All-Valley Division honors while serving as captain this year. Hezekiah was second-team All-Valley as a junior, when he was picked by the Hornet coaches as Offensive Player of the Year. He owns school records for passing attempts and completions in a game and broke the school record for completion percentage in a season while helping receiver Chris Charles set several Hornet marks. Patterson has also played basketball, baseball and run track.
“The goal of every scholar-athlete at Hamilton West is to excel on the field and in the classroom; and Hezekiah has demonstrated that he can do both exceptionally well,” Hamilton coach Tom Hoglen said. “He is a well-rounded student-athlete who has demonstrated what pride, tradition and excellence at Hamilton West is all about.”
Ranking 35th out of 289 at West, Patterson has a GPA of 3.9 and has taken several advanced placement courses. He has won the Academic Award for the past three years and was also awarded for amassing a 3.55 GPA or better for three straight years. He has been a camp counselor for Kevin Johnson’s Team85 Summer Camp, served as a mentor at George E. Wilson Elementary School, worked the concession stand for the Hamilton Football League and helped build a school pond at Hamilton.
“I have had the distinct privilege of being Hezekiah’s school counselor for the past four years,” Hornet Guidance Counselor Amy Emmons said. “He is a responsible, intelligent and very nice young man who is both excited and well prepared for his future journey as a college student. Hezekiah has proven throughout his years at Hamilton that he is a determined, enthusiastic and very dependable student. He has pursued a rigorous college preparatory schedule and been very successful.
“Student-athletes must balance the roles of being a full-time student and a full-time athlete, and he does that with a sense of ease and a positive attitude. Hezekiah expects nothing but the best from himself. He is a creative, passionate and mature student whose skills and drive will award him a wonderful college experience.”
