Mallory named Student-Athlete of Year

STAUNTON – Micah Mallory has collected more than a few accolades in his scholastic career at Grace Christian School.

But the latest — the City/County Student-Athlete of the Year award — surprised even him a little.

“There were so many good candidates and I was counting them off as they were introduced,” he said. “Then I realized I was the only one who hadn’t been introduced, and I thought, ‘That’s awesome.’ ”

Mallory was the choice out of eight finalists for the award, sponsored by The News Leader and Elliott Chevrolet, which was handed out Tuesday during a banquet at Gypsy Hill Place. Mallory and the seven other finalists received plaques and were personally awarded scholarship checks by William Elliott, owner of Elliott Chevrolet.

The seven other finalists were Seth Long of Buffalo Gap, Fort Defiance’s Ashley Crickenberger, Mariah Clark of Riverheads, Robert E. Lee’s Alex Kearney, Maddy Riley of Stuarts Draft, Waynesboro’s Allie Coburn and Josh Wilt of Wilson Memorial.

Ken Bosserman, a sports writer for The News Leader and longtime volunteer for Babe Ruth Baseball in Staunton, was the featured speaker.

Mallory, who was a three-sport standout in soccer, basketball and baseball for the Warriors, felt the award was a great way to end his high school career.

“It’s great to represent my school in this way,” said Mallory, who was valedictorian of his class at the Staunton school. “Now that I’ve graduated, this is just a nice cap to my career, and I’m very grateful for all the people who has been a big part of my life and has pushed me to succeed.”

Among those who helped him succeed were his parents, Mike and Rebecca, with Mike also having a second role as Micah’s baseball and soccer coach at Grace.

“They have been my biggest fans in whatever I’ve done, said Micah, who will attend Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, in the fall to major in biomedical engineering. They’ve supported me through all my successes and my failures. My mom has been such a big fan, and it was special having my dad coach me all through high school.”

The experience for his father was unforgettable, too.

“It’s been awesome,” said Mike, who coached the Warriors to their first Virginia Association of Christian Athletics state baseball championship this spring. “To be able to share the experiences with him as both a coach and a father, and to watch him grow has been great.”

And while the coach-son relationship can sometimes be rocky in some families, that wasn’t the case with Micah and his dad.

“He just did everything so well,” Mike said. “He learned his lessons well, he took instruction well, and he’s a lot smarter than me, so he taught me some things, too.”

“He’s been great at balancing being a coach and being my dad,” Micah said of his father. “It’s been special. Whenever I’ve been on the field with him, I’ve always called him ‘Dad,’ plus, he’s been like a dad to my teammates, and is just as interested in how we’re growing up as men as he does about how we play the game.”

But with all the awards, honors and kudos that have come his way, Micah’s impact on his school has been felt beyond the field of play.

“He’s greatly respected by the students,” said Cindy Mims, Grace Christian’s athletic director. “He’s a leader, he works very hard and it rubs off on the rest of the students.”

Now, as he heads off to college, he takes with him a valuable lesson he learned while at Grace Christian.

“First and foremost, always follow God’s plan and be faithful to him,” Micah said. “Use the gifts and abilities He’s given you and don’t neglect them, and follow the passions He has put in you, not for yourself, but for His sake.”