Alex Claudio '17 was put in a position to succeed at Wilbraham & Monson Academy.
Succeed he did, especially on the football field, where Alex finished his hard-hitting career with a trip to a Super Bowl and a team MVP award. He's now in the process of selecting which college football program he will play for next season.
"I played my heart out on every single play," Alex said. "On offense, I'm usually blocking for the running backs. On defense, I need to set the tone because I'm the vocal person. I try to keep the players' energy up."
No one ever questioned Alex's energy. Along with his performance on offense as a slot receiver and on defense at safety and outside linebacker, his leadership was exceptional all season.
"Alex had a terrific season," Coach Jeff Vartabedian explained. "First and foremost, he was a tremendous leader for us on and off the field. He was super unselfish, just like this whole senior class was. He had a great year. He had a great year on defense. He set the tone for us with his hitting and playmaking ability and his leadership. He always practiced hard and practiced hurt when he had to. On offense, he blocked his butt off, which had a lot to do with the success we had in our run game. He was willing to do everything and anything for us."
Alex has received offers from Bryant University, Georgetown University and Sacred Heart University. He's also being courted by many other Division I programs as well.
Alex recognizes and appreciates the opportunities he's received at the Academy. He knows he would not be in the position he's in if he didn't transfer to WMA entering his junior year. Sometime in the near future, he would like to take what he has learned and experienced at WMA and share it with people in his home city of Springfield.
"I want to talk to people in the city and tell them how I became successful and the types of things I would do and not do, coming from Springfield," he said.
Alex also added that he was honored to receive the WMA Football MVP award on such a strong team, which went 7-1 before losing in a Super Bowl 41-23 to Belmont Hill School Nov. 19.
"Going to a Super Bowl is the best accomplishment I've had in my high school career," Alex said. "I've never been on a team that worked this hard and did everything it was told.
"Individually, winning an MVP on such a great team, that's my greatest achievement."