PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — The Palm Beach Gardens High School football team is not only winning on the field — the Gators are also setting a high standard in the classroom, carrying a team grade point average between 3.3 and 3.4, one of the best in the state.
Following a dominant Monday night football win against Boynton Beach High School, the team is back focused on the game plan, both on the field and in school.
WATCH BELOW: Palm Beach Gardens HS football players are excelling on and off the field with a top state GPA
Two years ago, head coach Phil Norman made academics a central priority when he took over the program.
"One of the first meetings was detailed in the classroom. A lot of these kids do have aspirations to go to college, and the main thing to get there is you have to be accepted into the college programs first," Norman said.
The team's grade point average ranks among the best in not only Palm Beach County, but the entire state. Junior defensive back Ellby Gedeum is one player setting the pace with a near-perfect GPA.
"My GPA is a 3.9 right now," Gedeum said.
Gedeum said he handles the demands of being a student-athlete by staying disciplined after games.
"Just adapting after a long game, I come home, do my homework and stuff," Gedeum said.
Junior running back Rasheen Brooks is also excelling as a student-athlete.
"My GPA is a 3.5 as we speak, and I have 21 credit hours right now as a junior, so I am eligible to graduate as of now, but you know I'm not. I am in a good spot as a student-athlete," Brooks said.
Brooks said he wants to play college football, and he knows academics are the foundation for getting there.
"Without the books there is no college, so you can be the best athlete you are but without books there's nothing," Brooks said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
