MUSKEGON — Reeths-Puffer senior Jaxson Whitaker was named a Class A finalist Friday for the MHSAA’s most prestigious award for current students, the MHSAA Scholar-Athlete award.
Whitaker is one of 24 boys finalists in Class A. Six of those finalists will earn a $2,000 scholarship underwritten by Michigan Farm Bureau Insurance. A total of 32 athletes, out of 120 finalists, will receive the scholarship.
To be eligible, students had to carry a 3.5 grade point average or higher, have earned a varsity letter in an MHSAA sport, submit a 500-word essay on the importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics, answer a series of short essay questions, and get two letters of recommendation. Over 1,600 MHSAA student-athletes applied.
“I knew there were a lot of applicants, but I wasn’t sure if I’d get it,” Whitaker said. “So I just applied. I’m thankful to be on the finals list and hopefully I’ll get on that final list (of winners). It’s a big deal to me.”
Whitaker signed with Ferris State for basketball late last year and said he hasn’t picked out a major yet but is leaning towards a business-related field of study. Whitaker is also a star player in football and baseball at R-P.
“I’ve said so many times, you can’t be great at anything if you’re not good at everything,” Rockets’ coach Nate Aardema said. “Jaxson lives that...Jaxson is a three-sport athlete. He had a job this summer, and he still got all his workouts in. One of the things that athletics helps us learn is how to manage our time and our priorities. He’s had to do that and he’s done it exceptionally well. It’s cool to see him recognized for being as well-rounded as he is.”
Aardema added that he’s pleased Whitaker can be an example for up-and-coming athletes at the school. As a longtime coach, he’s seen many examples of how sports can help boost athletes’ academic achievement as well.
“I could tell a bunch of stories of kids that may not have finished high school if it weren’t for athletics, not just because it motivates them but because they have people involved in their lives that can check on it,” Aardema said.
