To keep his skills up for baseball season, senior Charles Windom joined the Centennial Apaches football team. While being an avid member of the athletic department, Windom earned a 3.5 GPA.
“I expect to get stronger, get my speed up,” Windom said. “I just felt like it would get me prepared for what my main sport is which is baseball.”
Learning how to play football brought on new challenges for Windom, however holding the underclassmen accountable is a familiar feat from playing baseball.
“I tell them certain things that they need to do in the classroom first off, so that they can be able to get on the field and just so that they can move forward and grow and be better men when they get older,” he said.
Windom is currently taking honors pre-calculus, math is his favorite subject. His teacher from his algebra II class, Rigo Moore, worked to ensure his students understand the material.
“He actually came in and would help you individually,” Windom said. “He would talk to you and make sure that you know what you’re doing before he moves on.”
During the 2018 season in baseball, Windom hit nine RBIs, 21 runs, and 25 hits; he also stole 31 bases out of 33 attempts. When playing pitcher, he earned eight strikeouts last season.
“My memorable moment was my first home run that I got in high school,” Windom said. “That felt pretty good because I’m small so people don’t think I can really hit them out.”
The Apaches are enduring a tough football season, they lost to the Compton Tarbabes in their first game. Yet Windom gained lessons in leadership during the loss.
“When we get to practices, I wanted to get on the players that were supposed to do certain things or players that thought they did good and just get everybody as a group together,” he said.
As he prepares to walk the stage at the end of this school year, Windom will miss the atmosphere of the campus.
“The environment, the friends and stuff I made since these last couple years I’ve been in here,” he said. “The faculty too, they’re real good people.”
Student Athletes with high GPAs and experience with student organizations or with volunteering make great candidates for student athlete of the week. Email [email protected] to nominate a student athlete.
