MORGANTOWN – If you’ve attended University High sporting events you probably have caught yourself thinking, “I’ve heard that athletes name before,” and more than likely that’s true.
Most high schools in the state see many of their student-athletes taking part in two or more sports throughout the school year simply due to the lower numbers. More than likely, those schools are part of the smaller classes.
But for the larger, upper-class schools whose numbers reach over 1300-1600 students, it isn’t as common. Student-athletes from these schools are more likely to focus on one sport throughout the year. There are still multi-sport athletes at these schools of course, but the likelihood is significantly lower.
As of 2023, University High ranked as the 11th-largest public school by student population in the state with 1,336 students attending through grades 9-12.
With a school of that size, you wouldn’t expect to see the same names coming up as often as you do. Seemingly every sports team, boys and girls, consists of athletes that also occupy a spot on another varsity roster in another sport.
UHS starting quarterback Luke Hudson is also a four-year member of the boys’ basketball team and will be looked upon to impact the game for both programs during his upcoming senior year. He said playing two or more sports growing up helped him “gain confidence and be a more well-rounded athlete”.
“It’s also given me a competitive side,” Hudson said. “I can say that without a doubt my basketball coaches (Carlton King and Deon Dobbs) pushing me and having me compete at a high level paved the way for me to be a good and competitive football player. The work ethic for that carries over into everyday life, my education, anything.”
The most recent example at UHS was recent graduate Noah Braham, who is signed to play football for WVU in the fall. This spring, however, he slugged his way to one of the most impressive offensive baseball seasons in state history. His 66 RBI ranked fourth in the entire nation, according to MaxPreps.
“One huge way I’ve benefitted is being able to meet all kinds of people from traveling and playing different sports,” Braham said. “It helped me tremendously developing my athleticism and all sports compensate one another. Basketball helped with my speed and agility, football with strength, and baseball with my mental game.”
Nick Lusk, who serves as the head coach for both the volleyball and girls’ basketball team, has athletes of his own that play for him on each of the teams. Notably, rising senior Ella Simpson is a vital rotation player during the fall on the volleyball court, before taking the floor as the Hawks leader for the girls’ basketball team.
“There are plenty of advantages to playing more than one sport,” Lusk said. “The first is the preparation for other sports. The movements and muscles you use are different in every sport so there may be a less chance of repetitive injury. And secondly, they are high school students, play as many sports as you can and enjoy the years.”
UHS athletic director Jeff Bailey stressed not only the physical benefits of playing multiple sports, but the mental and social ones as well.
“You get one high school experience, one chance to represent your school and your community,” he said. “We encourage everyone to take advantage and participate in as many activities as possible. Do what you love and enjoy the experience.”
