We are smack in the middle of wrestling season. Southwest has started strong and a sophomore on the team is a big reason for its success. But the kid is much more than just a jock, he's pinning down the grades in the classroom which makes him our Athlete of the Week.
When coach Fred Rodgers checks Eddie Kirkland's grades he has to smile.
"He currently has a 3.2 grade point average and we're looking and pushing for him to be valedictorian of his class. He's currently ranked 16th but I think he can get higher once this semesters grades go out, Rodgers said.
Kirkland likes the idea of heading up his class.
"All my teachers say I could be valedictorian I just got to push myself harder and that's what I'm going to do to reach my goal," Kirkland said.
You can sense a bit of urgency, but the reality is that Eddie has a couple of years on the clock to reach his goals. The kid is only a sophomore and the work he puts into the books is also the work ethic he applies to the mat.
"I came in from Bloomfield Middle School and I was undefeated and won a county championship and coach told me it was going to be hard but then I made it to state," Kirkland explained.
Making it to state as a freshman is a big deal but Kirkland is gritty and determined. "I'm just thinking about winning I'm going to take them down by force, I try to rule it," he said.
"One of the most competitive wrestlers and sometimes that constitutes to winning more than talent," Rodgers said.
It takes talent to persevere and that's something Kirkland's pinned down.
"He's building toward his future," Rodgers said.
Eddie says his favorite class is math and his least favorite is science!