January’s Athlete of the Month – A Monster on the Mat, Gavin Potts

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Kevin Rodriguez

An athletic, competitive, and intelligent kid, a name like Gavin Potts holds weight in the classroom and on the mat. A senior at Manville High School, Gavin has won several varsity letters throughout his career. His accomplishment as Athlete of the Month for January was awarded for his excellence on the wrestling mat. Gavin currently has four varsity letters for football, and by the end of his senior year will have four for wrestling and three for track & field. His work ethic is shared not only on the mat, but also in his schoolwork and at home.

Gavin Potts claims that while his most loved sport has to be wrestling, football is a very close second. “I’d say second to wrestling, football has been the most exciting. We’re the first team since 2006 to make playoffs and we had one of the best records in Manville history since the early 60’s.”

When asked about his coach, Patrick Gorbatuk, there was no shortage of praise. “Gorb is like a second parent to me, he’s always been really close and really helpful, anything I needed he always helped me with, school wise and home wise.”

“If you work hard, and you put your mind to it, you could do really good things sports wise, academically, and for your community. I just want to be an example of what hard work is.”

Gavin Potts will be looking to rejoin the track & field program as a thrower for his final year as a Manville athlete. His athletics have not only paid off these four years, but they’ve been recognized and praised, certainly throughout the month of January. In a school that bleeds blue & gold, whether it be on the track or on the mat, being recognized as the athlete of the month takes a lot of hard work and positive outcomes. Gavin Potts has shown who he is, and rightfully defends his name wherever it be to earn himself the title of Athlete of the Month for January.