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ABC27 Scholar Athlete of the Week: Maclay's Alex Guzman

Posted at 12:12 AM, Jan 23, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-23 00:12:24-05

TALLAHASSEE, Fl. (WTXL) - Alex Guzman's freshman soccer season as Maclay was pretty close to perfect as the Marauders won a State Championship.

"It taught us a lesson of how hard we need to work to be in the final and all the effort it takes to win in the final," he said.

The Marauders also know what it's like to lose. They finished State Runners-up Guzman's sophomore year before an early exit last season.

"It was one of the most painful moments of my life," he remembered. "That's driven me to work hard and prepare for this year.

"This team is really motivated this year because of last year's heartbreak," said assistant coach Andy Surratt. "That's in the back of their minds and they're now starting to think we have to step up our game and so forth."

As hard as he's working on the pitch, Guzman is working just as hard in the classroom. He has a 4.42 GPA.

"I don't know how these kids do it all," laughed Surratt. "He's not a super quiet, but a quiet leader, but he gets it done. Both on the field and off."

"In the end you know that the reward is high for being a great athlete and good academics so you just have to grind through it," added Guzman.

Grind through it like the season the Marauders are having. Maclay is undefeated, and Guzman can't forget all it took to get this team to this point.

"I'm going to take away the highs and the lows," he said. "Every day it's an amazing feeling but the losses to, and the tough learning moments you have and ultimately all the memories I had with all my teammates.

Memories they're hoping to add to in just a few short weeks.