Jackson Porta
Yes, I am part of the large percentile that in the 5th grade, made their decision of going to Moeller. I’m sure you’ve heard it from a lot of graduates, but now becoming a senior, I realize that it was the best decision I could’ve made.
Coming out of a small private school known as St. Margaret of York, the idea that I was one of the best athletes to touch the greater Cincinnati area was the biggest disillusionment that I could’ve experienced. Although I came into my freshman year as a solidly sized athlete, my first day at football practice I was met by plenty of people who had the blessing of being half a foot taller than me. However, I realized that it pushed me to become a better version of myself, dedicating a lot of my time throughout the years to both football and baseball.
When spring season came around, baseball is where I met some of my closest friends. Now, although freshman baseball was a transitioning season for most of us, my sophomore year created some of the best memories even outside of school. The summer before my junior year was so entertaining that it felt as if I was off for only two weeks. Constant lake trips, baseball tournaments, festivals, any fun event you can think of me and the guys were there.
As junior year began ramping up I decided that I was going to take a year off of football and focus on baseball while preparing for the long school year ahead of me. It felt nice for once to be a student at the football games instead of being on the field. Being able to spend more time with my friends saved me from the headache that junior year gave me. With that aside, I concluded my junior year playing for the baseball team once again, experiencing some of the craziest atmospheres that baseball has ever seen. Sold out games, trips to Atlanta, all of which fueled the relationship between me and my guys. Although the season ended in a loss to Mason in the Regional Finals, it was a year that I would never throw away.
Now here I am as a senior, looking back at the past 3 years realizing how right my dad was about high school going faster than the blink of an eye. I’ve decided that I will be involved in many service opportunities around school along with joining the football team to ride out with them for our last year. I look forward to what baseball has to offer this coming season as I will be continuing my athletic career beyond high school.
If I were to look back and say one thing to myself in freshman year, I would take back everything I said about wanting to grow up, because I realized soon enough that these 4 years are some of the best years of my life.
