In September, Frederick Ragsdale III ‘23 came across the High School Heisman Scholarship when he and his mom were going through other awards, Ragsdale said. Once Ragsdale came across the award, he felt confident in making it pretty far. From there, he applied for the scholarship. At the end of the application process he had to submit it to a faculty member for further confirmation and review before it fully went through. 

“Freddie has an incredible work ethic and he’s always striving to be better than anybody else on the field,” varsity head coach Kevin Diete said. “I think that just speaks volume to the type of athlete and person he is and I think those things will take him far in life.”

The High School Heisman Scholarship is an award that symbolizes all senior high school athletes who demonstrate athletic and academic achievement. The levels of awards go from school winners to state winners, then to national finalists, and national winners. 

“This award, and any award, shows that our players are willing to work hard for what they’re earning and Freddie is no different in that aspect,” Diete said. “Freddie wants to be the best on the best team and that’s what he’s striving for.” 

From the coaches’ perspective, Ragsdale is a fun-loving guy who coaches love having on their team, Diete said. He is going to motivate people around him to work better and he holds himself accountable to the highest standard.

“It shows that I am not just an athlete because it also has to do with academics,” Ragsdale said. “Past the athlete standpoint, it goes to show that I have character and am not just a jock, so to say.”

On Nov. 2, Ragsdale found out he made it to the schools section of the country, which ranges anywhere from 100-300 applicants nationally, and won the award for LT. 

“This award is good for Freddie because this confidence will breed success and that in turn success will form a continuous cycle into the season and further into the collegiate level,” Diete said.

This award goes to show how many good athletes there are at LT and it proves that LT has a lot of athletes with high character, Diete said

“He puts a lot of time into his craft,” Diete said. “He works at his weaknesses to help him when he gets to the collegiate level at Kent State University where he will play center field.”