The freshman year of high school is hard enough on kids, but Towson High freshman Luke Smith is doing it with gusto. While adapting to the increased amount of classwork and self-reliance that comes with high school, Smith has also set himself apart from his classmates by making a varsity team and becoming a starter.
Smith is the starting quarterback for the Generals? football team. Being the youngest player on the field and the team?s offensive leader simultaneously is quite a unique situation. But he addresses it with humility that makes him wise beyond his years.
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“They have given me an opportunity like this, and I have got to show them I am capable of this,” Smith said.
With a heavy workload on the field, maintaining a high level of academic success was among Smith?s chief concerns entering the fast pace of high school.
“My last two quarters in middle school,” Smith said, “I got straight A?s, but with high school, it is a much tougher schedule. I would be content with A?s and B?s.”
Smith is taking biology, geometry, English, American government and Latin II, all on the “gifted and talented” level.
Towson football coach Harry McNeir also coached Josh Smith, Luke?s older brother, at quarterback. Josh graduated in 2003 and currently attends Lafayette (Pa.) College.
“Their parents are really stressing the importance of education,” McNeir said. “They stress doing well in school and doing well in athletics.”
Smith?s parents also stress involvement in the community, like working with Habitat for Humanity and playing the guitar and drums at Towson United Methodist Church. Those types of social interactions have aided Smith in the daunting task of calling the shots for a bunch of upperclassmen teammates.
“They don?t brush him off; they respect him,” McNeir said. “He is really confident in what he is doing, but he does not have an ego. Luke is a very easygoing young man, and he is rolling with the punches.”
The punches have not been soft either, with Towson dropping its first three games of the season. Regardless of what?s in store for the Generals this fall, Smith will be working on maturing as a quarterback while maintaining his high academic level.
But watch out for him come spring, too. He also plays lacrosse.
