Martin, McCullough named Athletes of the Week

Fall sports are finally in full swing, and with that comes a fresh slate of athletes who shined this past week. 

The Graham Leader is recognizing Brodie Martin of the Steers and Treyton McCullough of the Lady Blues as this week’s Athletes of the Week. 

Treyton McCullough, Lady Blues Volleyball

It wasn’t the prettiest day for the Lady Blues in their matchup against the Boyd Lady Jackets. However, the team did have a moral victory in the return of one of their seniors. 

McCullough returned to the court Tuesday, Aug. 26, after missing the first couple of weeks of the regular season due to injury recovery. 

Not only was this a sentimental moment for the team, seeing a player who has worked hard in the offseason being able to rejoin their teammates, but McCullough’s return also means further depth and flexibility is coming to the Lady Blues roster. 

The team already has two right-side hitters in Kathryn Hughes and Rylee Moore, but McCullough’s return will add a blend of defensive flexibility as well as power at that position. 

However, this return didn’t just end at being a sentimental moment bringing hope for the future; she also scored her first point of the season. 

McCullough cleared a ball in the front row with a savvy tipped ball that the Lady Jackets couldn’t return to make it a 20-14 game in set three. After this moment, she got applause from the crowd, along with her teammates, who came to congratulate her. 

Head Coach Marci Faulk reflected on the moment after the game. 

“It’s exciting. After the game, all the junior varsity and freshmen were congratulating her, and I leaned down and whispered in her ear and said, ‘You should run for president today, you might win,’” she said.

 

Brodie Martin, Steers Football

The Steers have been working hard in preparation for the regular season with a roster that has something to prove. 

In last week’s scrimmage match, Friday, Aug. 21 against Godley, several playmakers started to make noise and make a name for themselves. 

One of those players was Brodie Martin. Martin already started to make an impact in the team’s first scrimmage, ending it on a high note with a touchdown over the middle of the field against Grandview. 

However, Martin had a true coming-out party against Godley. 

Martin caught his first touchdown of the evening on a deep ball over the middle of the field from quarterback Jace Gill. Martin ran away from the secondary for a long score to open things up for Graham. 

His second touchdown came later in the evening when he was in a one-on-one matchup. Martin managed to slip away from his defender down the right sideline for a ball to be lobbed up to him wide open for another touchdown. 

Steers head coach Clay McChristian expressed excitement for the potential season Martin could have as he continues to work hard. 

“As he continues to work on his craft, he will only get better this season,” McChristian said. “He has the ability to have a really good year and the sky’s the limit on what he can do this year.” 

The team will continue to look to playmakers like Martin in the regular season.