Rams select Pry, O’Connor
Ringgold's Michaela Pry
Ringgold's Jackson O'Connor
Michaela Pry and Jackson O’Connor have made quite the names for themselves in the athletic realm, but they also stand out in the classroom.
Both have a 4.0 GPA, and for their hard work in sports and with their academics, the pair have been chosen as Ringgold’s fall representatives for the Centennial Chevrolet Scholar-Athlete program.
“It is an honor and privilege to be picked and it shows that if you always work hard, someone will eventually notice,” said O’Connor, who is the son of Matt and Susan of Eighty-Four. “It always feels good to be rewarded for perseverance and dedication.”
“It was unexpected, but I was very happy to find out that she sees me as a well-rounded individual,” said Pry, the daughter of Jim and Kim of Monongahela. “It is an honor to be able to represent this school, which I am so proud to be a student of and it’s nice to know that all of my hard work in school and sports pays off.”
While O’Connor has not chosen where he will go to college at yet, he will major in biological sciences, while Pry will attend either Carlow or Pitt-Johnstown where she will major in nursing.
O’Connor said that beating Belle Vernon on the road two weeks ago to clinch the Section 3-AAA title as his most memorable sports moment so far.
“There is no feeling like it when you get to play a rival team on their field and do what they did to us last year,” O’Connor said of Belle Vernon winning the section at Joe Montana Stadium a year ago. “Felt great to come back and win the section on their field.”
Pry picked when she scored the game-winning goal against Belle Vernon during her sophomore year as her most memorable.
“My freshman year, there was a big rivalry between our two teams, and (although) we played a really good game against them, we lost,” she said. “So, my sophomore year it was our chance and when we beat them, it was the biggest accomplishment at that time.
“Ringgold hadn’t beaten Belle Vernon for many years, it was such a big moment for the team, and I played an important role.”
Pry picked soccer legend Alex Morgan as the professional athlete that she admires the most, while saying that her parents and coaches have been the greatest influence on her as an athlete.
“I look up to her the most because after her knee injury, she came back better than ever and she didn’t let that hold her back,” she said. “I admire how she doesn’t give up.
“My parents and coaches are my biggest influences because they have shaped me into the person that I am.”
O’Connor picked another soccer legend, Ronaldinho, as the professional athlete that he admires the most and picked YPT (Youth Professional Training) John Fisher as he greatest influence on him as an athlete.
“His love for the game and the fact that he said that the day he stops playing will be the saddest day of his life stand out,” he said of Ronaldhino, before talking about Fisher. “He was probably the best coach I have had and he has learned first-hand from the best teams in Europe like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Ajax because he has gone over to watch them practice through his contacts.”
For their achievements in their respective sports and more so in the classroom, they are Ringgold’s fall nominations for the Centennial Chevrolet Scholar-Athlete program.