Trey

Cave

Male

5'9

170

Greenwood Rangers

Midland

Texas

High School

Football

RB, WR, CB

22

Perseverance
By Trey Cave

Throughout my life, I have indefinitely and persistently been one of the smaller sized athletes that has partaken in athletic events.
Most everyone that I have come across in my lifetime has doubted my abilities as an athlete.
I have always done the work, put forth the effort, and undoubtedly ended up,
(excuse the overused phrase) blowing everyone's minds.
Like many young children, mostly boys, I too had big dreams of becoming a
football player. From the moment I could grasp things, I always had a football
in my hand. As long as I can remember, I have always loved the sport of football.
I have always been very active and athletic, but, as stated before, I was always a little smaller than everyone, not as tall as most, and I was usually a tad bit lighter in weight than all of my friends.
One of my most fond, as well as oldest, memories occurred when I was about
three or four years of age. I was watching the Dallas Cowboys NFL team on
television with my father. I remember the player Emmitt Smith, who was number
twenty-two, ran for a big gain, and I yelled at the top of my lungs, "Go Emmitt, go!"
As I grew older, I started school, and at recess we always played football.
When I began the second grade, flag football started. I had never played a real
football game with rules, so when I started flag football I was extremely excited. Everyone always wanted to play quarterback at that age. When the first day of practice came around, I, as any kid did, declared that I wanted to
play the quarterback position. My dad and another player's dad, Monty, were the
coaches. They decided to try me at different skill positions, or positions that deal with more running downfield and carrying the football. They first tried me at quarterback, and incidentally I was not the best person at throwing.
They then tried me out at receiver, and I was noticeably faster than most everyone on the team. I could also catch very well.
The last position they tried me at was the running back position. This moment
could very well be the most clear and vivid memory I have. This moment defined
who I would always be as an individual and how I would develop into the person
I have become today. They tossed me the ball and I just ran; I was faster than
everyone. When someone actually had the leverage to cut me off, I would just
juke them or spin around them. I ran past everyone and scored. I remember the
astonished look on my dad's and Monty's faces, as well as all of my team mates.
Their jaws were all drooping to the ground, and their eyebrows were almost
above their hairlines. I think that was the point in my life that I knew I could do some big things; I also think that at that moment my dad knew I was something special as well.
As I got older ( sporting Emmitt Smith's number twenty-two), my athletic
ability grew and my speed increased immensely, but my height and weight were a
little behind those other attributes. No one ever really saw me for what was
possible until I demonstrated. I will admit this was never really an issue to me or my family, until we had to move to Midland when I was twelve years old.
This was perhaps one of the biggest challenges I have ever had to face. Anyone
who has had to move to a new town could support this statement. I went through
sixth grade without really making any good friends. I mean I had friends, but
I hadn't made any real close friends with anyone. I went up to the seventh grade where junior high football started. At this point I was still smaller than any young athlete my age. The coaches in junior high stuck with the kids they already knew from the pee wee league and never really gave me a real and
solid chance.
My first real chance didn't come until the autumn of my freshman year in high
school. I finally showed people that I was quick and had excellent speed. I
was one of the best players on the team, and I always made plays; in other
words, I did really well on certain plays in the games. My sophomore year I
had established myself as a key player on our team. With the help of my team
mates, I had eleven touchdowns and well over one-thousand one-hundred total
yards.
I have always been a multiple sport athlete. I also excelled in track and power lifting in high school, and when I was younger I excelled in baseball and basketball as well. Towards the end of my sophomore year during track, an announcement was made that our head football coach and athletic director were
leaving. We were told that we would be getting a new head coach and some other new coaches.
When the new coaching staff arrived, they changed our offense in football along
with many other aspects of our athletic program. I, once again, had to prove
myself to everyone who doubted me. Doing this took most of my junior season,
but I did it. I had once again established myself as a play maker on our team
and in all phases of the game. I ended up earning the special teams player of
the year award on my team as well as District Recognition for special teams and
backs and receivers in district. My junior year, I worked harder than ever
before; I gained strength and speed. My senior year, I wasn't the smallest
player on the team. I wasn't the biggest either, but I was in better shape than
almost everyone. I was the fastest, and I was also one of the strongest on the
team.
My senior year was very successful. I made a plethora of big plays throughout
the season, and I was elected team captain. Along with the other captains I lead my team two rounds deep in the playoffs, something that hadn't been done
in four years straight. Now I am expecting team, district, and maybe even regional honors for the achievements I have reached and the things that my team has allowed me to accomplish in this season.
I am currently on recruiting lists and being recruited for college football by
many different colleges including TCU, Princeton, Cornell, Baylor, Davidson,
WTAMU, as well as many others. Through hard work and perseverance in athletics
as well as academics, I am inches away from reaching my goal to go to college
on an athletic scholarship and play football at the collegiate level. I have
worked hard my entire life for what is to come in the next few months. Having
heart and working hard is what always pays off.

Conference Honors Recognition - Running Back 2011
Special Teams Conference Recognition -2010

Special Teams Player of the year

Leading Yards Gainer 2011 with 1180 all purpose yards

Multiple Player of the Weeks and District Recognition 2010, 2011
MOE - Matter of Effort Player
Defensive/ Secondary Player of the Week
Offensive /RB, WR Player of the Week
Special Teams Player of the Week, Backs & Receivers Player of the week.

Have never missed a game or competition in any sport including all high school football games.

Player to Watch, Texas Football Magazine

Top Gun Running Back Selection - FBU, Football University Camp

Regional Qualifier Powerlifting 2009, 2010, 2011
Regional Qualifier Track 2011
District Champion Track 2011
6th in Region in Pole Vault
Academic All District Track
Academic All District Football
Sprinter and Polevaulter on Varsity Track Team, Qualified for Regionals , 2009, 2010, 2011
Inducted into the National Honor Society - May 2010