Connor Hartle '24 Recruiting Profile

Athletic pursuits have been a part of who I am for as long as I can remember. From the earliest time in which I could play soccer until I was of age to play other sports such as football, wrestling, and lacrosse. However, from the first time I set foot on a football field in 2^nd grade, it has felt like my second home. My father signed me up for my 1^st season as soon as we moved to Mars just before the final sign-up deadline, so I was put on the team of mostly left-overs and unknowns. As a member of a superiorly inferior team, I learned how to work hard, and this is where my unstoppable motor was born. As I progressed and grew throughout youth football, I excelled on the field and was a standout at any position I was asked to play. Although there may have been positions I gravitated toward more, I have primarily played any position in which my coaches felt I would be able to best help the team.

I have learned that my love of football will never die since I started from the bottom, then progressed to a standout at each level, but was then dealt an injury that took my senior year of youth  that prevented me from playing all but 2 games that season. As I resumed my football career in junior high, I earned a starting position, but was left feeling like my home had been renovated to a point I didn’t recognize as the time missed and playing some positions, I admit were not best suited for my abilities, and I did not perform up to my own expectations. As a freshman, I felt I was not provided any opportunity to prove myself for playing time, which weighed heavily on me and made me question if I wanted to continue playing. Ultimately, my heart for the game pulled me back in, and I continued my journey in my sophomore year that saw a return to the positions I most excelled at in the past, which allowed me to blossom into a playmaker on JV to the point where I was promoted to a starting position on varsity midway through the season. Though I feel I held my own, my playtime revealed that I need to develop my body though building muscle. As a result, I have committed myself to muscle and strength building, while working to build on my explosiveness with the aim to elevate my game output in varsity during my junior year to match what was I was able to exhibit on the JV field.

My academic goals for high school are to adequately prepare for college coursework while also excelling, academically similar to the excellence experienced on the field. Throughout my freshman year, during the pandemic, I attended classes virtually. This created a more difficult environment in which I was not as comfortable. Despite a difficult start, I learned and adapted to the alternate setting, and my grades progressively improved. My sophomore year has resulted in a return to in person learning, which has allowed me to significantly improve my GPA. As of the time of this statement, I have achieved high honor roll during the entire 1^st semester (first two nine weeks) of the 2021-2022 school year.

In conclusion, I hope it has become clear that my drive to be successful is not something that I will allow ANYTHING (injuries, lack of playing time, nor a pandemic) to deter me. With my work ethic, effort, adaptability, and pursuit for excellence, I am confident that success in within my capabilities, whether academically or athletically.