Managing your time in high school can be a challenge and playing sports only adds to the equation. Patrick Fuller, senior, not only plays soccer at school, but he also plays on a club team. Fuller makes it a priority to compete on both the field and in the building.

“I’m generally a straight A student, but there are times when I get tired,” Fuller said.

Fuller’s club team usually trains 2-3 days a week and is expected to train outside of practice and stay in shape. During high school, he gives the same amount of time on the pitch as club soccer. However, Fuller believes that the intensity is not on the same level.

“Club sports are more mentally intense because there’s a lot more pressure on us to perform, and high school doesn’t matter as much,” Fuller said. “Physically speaking, our training sessions are more intensive, we’re expected to be in really good condition.” 

Although a lot of his time is spent on the field, he still finds time to efficiently maintain his studies.

“Sports often take away time from each day that I would use to complete schoolwork, but as long as I dedicate time after sports to schoolwork, I can keep up,” Fuller said.

Fuller is currently weighing his college options and has been accepted to several colleges, including the competitive Colorado School of Mines.

“Colorado School of Mines is one of my top choices because of its location and focus on engineering which I plan to major in in college,” Fuller said. “Unfortunately, their out-of-state tuition is quite expensive and while I received a scholarship, it doesn’t quite make it cheap enough to justify attending Mines rather than choosing a less expensive option with the same major options. I plan to pursue more scholarships and see what happens with the financial aspect of it. I would really like to attend Mines if I can get it to work out.”

In any event, his senior soccer season will go down in the record books as he finished with 21 goals and 12 assists, putting him in the top 30 players in the St. Louis Metro area. In addition, he was selected to the Class 2 Region 1 All-Region team and earned Missouri Class 2 2nd Team All-State Honors.

“Patrick is one of the two best players I have had the pleasure to coach,” Thomas Henson, soccer coach, said..”His soccer skill and acumen are off the charts. But the most important thing Patrick provided was his natural leadership skills. Through his words and more importantly through his actions, he led by example on and off the field. He always brought his best to every practice and game. “