Sports360AZ
The people of Show Low, Ariz., love their sports, and expect nothing less than perfection from every athlete who puts on a Cougar uniform.
For Jace Wyatt, he has to wear three different uniforms at Show Low High School. Wyatt, a junior, plays football, baseball and wrestles.
On the football team, Wyatt plays both sides of the ball, as an offensive lineman and a linebacker.
“Coach needed us,” Wyatt said. “Show Low doesn’t have many big guys, so the smaller guys had to step up.”
The Cougars were 11-4 last season, and made it to the state title game, falling to cross-town rival Blue Ridge, 35-14.
“There were a lot of sophomores starting on that team,” Wyatt said. “This year I really expect that we’ll do really well and go deep.”
Losing a player the caliber of Josh Weeks would hurt any team, but Wyatt believes he and his teammates will step up strong in Weeks’ absence.
“I really think we’ll do it,” Wyatt said. “We have the personnel and a lot of juniors that are going to step up.”
Wrestling is the sport that Wyatt, pun intended, “wrestled” with the most.
Wyatt says he made the varsity squad when he was a freshman, but had to drop out prior to the end of the season, due to various injuries.
In his sophomore season, Wyatt says he was slated to wrestle in the state tournament, but more injuries forced him to withdraw from the team again.
“I didn’t want to not be able to play baseball, so I had to cut that short,” Wyatt said.
Speaking of baseball, Wyatt says of the three sports he plays, it’s his No. 1.
“It’s the one I’m probably best at, and have a chance to go to college for,” Wyatt said.
Wyatt lit up his opposition last season, batting .393, with a .485 on base percentage.
So what does a three-sport athlete like to do when he’s not suited up? He works with his father as a well driller.
“It’s really cool,” Wyatt said. “It’s what all my brothers have grown up to do, but I’d like to pass them and do something else.”
Wyatt would love to stick with baseball and see where it takes him.
He says he’s gotten interest from some schools, but he’s hoping his improvement in the sport will garner more interest from other schools.
