3 MHS student-athletes commit to colleges

Three Maricopa High School student-athletes signed for college athletic scholarships Thursday.

MHS Athletic Director Craig Moody presented the athletes to a crowd of family, friends and fellow athletes at the MHS library, where the signing took place.

Blake Brasher, a safety with the Rams, accepted a scholarship to Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., where he’ll play for the Knights.

Brasher said he largely chose his college based on cooler weather.

“I visited the school in the summer and it’s very beautiful,” Brasher said. “I worked really hard to get into that school.”

He suggested students wanting to get scholarships should work hard and keep their grades high.

“It’s the one that they look for, above all else,” he said of college recruiters.

Morgan Mundell, Rams cheerleader, signed to cheer for Grand Canyon University’s Antelopes in Phoenix.

“The campus is so beautiful, the community is so nice,” Mundell said.  She said she looked forward to cheering on her team to the nationals next year.

She urged her cheer squad peers to think positively about their future.

“Don’t give up,” she said. “Keep pushing.”

Maxwell Siegel, center for the Rams, is going to the University of Northwestern in St. Paul, Minn., to play Eagles football.

He said he was also excited to move to a colder climate.

“Ultimately it was a decision that I liked the community there and I’m excited to get to work with the coach and all the guys,” Siegel said.

He urged students to keep their mental health “in check.”

“Check on your friends, check on your family, make sure those relationships are there,” he said. “It’s not just about school. It’s bigger than that.”

Moody said it was a proud moment for all the coaches to see the results of the time they’ve contributed to developing such athletes. He called it “an honor” to see athletes move forward in college life.

“These are like special times,” Moody said. “You’ve got all those years of work, the youth leagues, the practices, all that stuff, and it culminates to this moment where they decide to take their education further, and athletics is a catalyst to get your education.”