Every August there comes a new influx of students to the halls of Elder High. Among these new faces, there always seems to be a particular number of young men who seem to stand out from the rest of the class. To be more specific, I am talking about the boys who seem to shine in their potential to be one of the greats in some facet their high school life. I will be projecting the finest student, athlete, ladies’ man, and most importantly of all, the thickest man who will wander the halls of Elder over his next four years as a Panther for the class of 2022.

To begin this list of freshmen prospects, I will start off my list with best student. After talking with some of the freshman around campus, I was able to fix my sights on a few names. With the help of a few other students on campus, I was able to make my final decision that Trey Jansen will be one of the best, if not the best, students in the class. The former Viking has maintained exemplary numbers all through grade school, commonly found among the smartest Visitation had to offer during his time there.

I was lucky enough to catch the star student outside of his studies for a quick conversation.

“It would be really awesome to get the Valedictorian Award, especially at a school like Elder. That would be really cool,” Trey explained. I also asked if he ever gets stressed over grinding so hard in his studies. He told me that he tries to do his part in and out of the class room and let the grades take care of themselves. Trey also explained that his parents hold him to a high standard in the classroom, pushing him to excel in his studies.

Following best student, there are a few names that are told to be promising figures in the athletic realm of Elder. There were a few names that closely trailed the top spot, but the final decision for best athlete is Drew Ramsey.

The former knight from St. Nicholas, is said to be a football player with high amounts of potential over his next four years at Elder. Son of head coach Doug Ramsey, brother of iconic Peyton Ramsey, Drew has a lot to live up to on the football field. I was able to get a chance to speak with Drew after spotting him outside of class.

“Growing up I always wanted to play football for Elder,” Drew stated. It was the iconic ‘bleed purple’ story from Ramsey. He had told me about grade school nights in the Pit watching Peyton play, wanting to be in his shoes one day.

“My class has a lot of learning to do, but over the next couple years I think we’ll really come along and form something real special. Good things take time,” Drew told me. Coach Ramsey also has a lot of faith in his son. “They’ll grow up together and bond into something not a lot of people will see coming,” Coach Ramsey explained.

Following top athlete we have a highly coveted spot on the list: ladies’ man. Every grade has that one guy who never seems to strike out when it comes to girls. It didn’t take much time to come up with the name who would take the cake for this spot on the list. That name is Mitchell Trotta.

One look at this man and the word finesse instantly comes to mind. Whenever I take a trip over to the Trotta compound to hang out with his older brother, Max, Mitchell is always gone. There is one particular answer that always seems to ensue my question of “Where’s Mitch”. That answer is always along the lines of “with a girl”.

I was able to get a chance to speak with the magic man after school one day. “I mean I don’t want to be ‘that guy’ or anything but I guess I always have had that effect on the ladies,” Mitchell explained. Clearly he was being ‘that guy’. I asked his older brother Max what he thought of the whole situation. “Mitchell thinks he can sling a smooth word with the women, but he’s getting friend-zoned left and right. He’s just not seeing it yet,” Maxwell claimed.

Lastly and most certainly not least, we have the position of thickest man. With every freshman class that comes in each year, there is always the one kid who has a noticeably hefty build. To the man with the beefiest loins will go all the spoils. This man can be no other than Will Bode.

The former Bulldog from St. Jude is a current member of the band at Elder, but with his intimidating size, he probably has football coaches at Elder scratching their heads wondering why he’s not a part of the program. I got a chance to catch up with the massive man to chat.

“Momma didn’t raise no weak sauce wimpy little boy. Been drinking 2% milk since I was a youngin’. Anything to keep up the bulk works for me,” Bode stated. I asked why he wasn’t a part of the football program, but he simply stated that a lot of his friends were in the band. On a side note, Will also takes the top spot for thickest hair. The guy has been sporting an afro since grade school.

Be sure to keep an eye on these freshman as they make their way through their time at Elder. Excellence is sure to come with each of their awarded attributes.