Grafton Petrie '23 Recruiting Profile

 love the game of football. I begged my parents to play at five years old. However, they made me begin with flag football. I finally got to play tackle at 7, and have almost played 10 years now. I was fortunate enough to play multiple positions on both sides of the ball during youth football. Sometimes, I never left the field. I also learned a ton about losing because I was not always on the biggest or most talented teams.

Things changed my freshman season in Fall 2016. My freshman team had 55 players, and many were very talented. I was finally on a winning team (6-1-1). However, I was not getting all the play time I wanted as WR/TE. Then I ended up with my first concussion halfway through the season. Sitting on the sidelines drove me nuts. Despite having one of my worst football seasons, my passion for the game has grown even stronger. I was determined to come back tougher than ever.

In Spring 2017, I moved up to JV and practiced against Varsity. I had a strong short season with a TD and a few key blocks in our Spring scrimmage and game. I worked to get even stronger by going to a personal trainer along with working out with my team during the summer. I also attended our 3-day Varsity camp for the first time.

In Fall 2017, I played DE, WR/TE, and Special Teams on JV. It was a great come back season for me personally as I scored a TD and played defense again. As a team, we finished the season strong at 6-1-1. When the season ended, I was invited to continue practicing with Varsity for the rest of their season and playoffs. This will prepare me for Varsity play in 2018. 

I plan to attend college camps next summer. My desire is to play college football. I plan to work very hard to achieve this goal, on and off the field.

Thank you for your time,

Grafton Petrie