Joshua Shapiro '18 Recruiting Profile

Hi, my name is Josh and I love football. Persistence, hard work, and being a team player is very important to me. I am smart on the field and can adapt to all situations and adjustments. Playing football since I was 9, I have always had a starting position, except for my first year as  a Minor in Pop- Warner. My Dad enrolled me in Tae Kwan Do when I was 4 years old and I achieved my First Degree Black belt at 9. After that, I enrolled at Hayashi's Martial Arts academy, training in both MMA and Judo until football and academics became more challenging and took up most of my time.  I believe that Martial Arts has made me a much better football player because of the discipline and techniques it has taught me. I have won championships with the many teams I have played for, and various individual awards like Offensive Backfield MVP in eighth grade, and 1st team Academic All District and 1-6A Honorable Mention this year. I have also received two bronze and a gold medal in Judo.

Activities in the off season such as 7 on 7 and weight training keep me in shape and busy. I am also training in the Playmaker program at SICFIT with Coach Darius Ellison and a few of my other teammates for speed and strength training . I had a great time as an assistant coach of a youth football team called the El Paso Apes with ex-NFL player Paul Smith. It was fun teaching the youngsters proper tackling and linebacker schemes. I strive to perform at the highest standard in academics. It is very important to me to be the best in the classroom and on the field. I have always been an accomplished student as well as an athlete, receiving Honor Roll awards since I was eight years old. I was in NJHS for my seventh and eighth grade and will be inducted into NHS on 4/17/2017. Giving back the community is very important to me and NHS is the perfect vehicle to do that. I still am undecided as to what my Major will be. I am interested in Physical Therapy, Psychology, and Business. My goal is to be accepted to a prestigious college or university , play football, and attain at least a Masters degree (maybe Doctorate) in the field of study that I am most interested in.