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Sports

Whiz Kid: St. Mary's Football Player Leads by Example

Keith Stonestreet, an Eaglets senior running back on the varsity team, keeps a level head and chases his dreams despite an injury keeping him from the field.

Every week, Patch spotlights young people in the West Bloomfield community who are successful, talented and just plain awesome. We're pleased to introduce this week's Whiz Kid:

Keith Stonestreet

  • Age: 17
  • School: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Preparatory
  • Achievement: Keith was only one of two freshmen selected to play junior varsity football at St. Mary’s in 2008. Prior to the start of his sophomore year, he made the varsity team, playing both as a running back and a receiver. Last spring, Head Coach George Porritt selected Keith as one of four senior captains for the 2011 fall season. “He’s always been the type of kid to set an example for his peers,” said Keith's mother, Angela Stonestreet.
  • Adversity: At the pinnacle of his high school football years, Keith sustained a severe foot injury during the second game of the season. All five of his bones in his foot separated when his ligaments tore. He faces surgery in the near future, but won’t let this get him down.

    “The injury overwhelmed me, but from the beginning, I’ve had my faith,” Keith said. “I knew my team needed me, both spiritually and on the field. I believe in them and know they are winners in my book. My injury taught me this is a minor speed bump in life. I’m going to keep going toward what I want to do, and that is to play football again, go to college to major in business and communications, and become a sports analyst someday.”
  • Key to awesomeness: Keith learns from others and leads by example. “St. Mary’s taught me more about leadership, honesty and trust,” he said. “You have to be honest and loyal, and carry those attributes on throughout life.  I try to coach my teammates along from the sidelines. Being a captain is about how you manage situations. When the guys are having a hard time, I tell them I believe in them and to keep their heads up.”

    Keith puts others before himself. “When he was injured, he was more upset about letting his teammates down than worrying about himself and his pain,” said his father, Keith Sr. “I’m proud to see the respect his teachers and peers have for him both on and off the field.”

Do you know a special young person in the community who deserves a round of applause because he volunteers instead of playing video games after school? Or maybe your daughter's science club is trying to challenge the way we think about the energy crisis? Or maybe your son's lacrosse team won its first game in three years? Everyone deserves a little attention, and we want to tell these stories.

So email your Whiz Kid nominations to Editor Tim Rath at Tim.Rath@Patch.com. Please include the name, age, school, achievement and key to awesomeness, as well as a photo. Then come back for our Whiz Kid spotlight; you never know who will be up next.

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