Mickey Starling
reporter3@greenepublishing.com
On Thursday, May 4, Madison County Central School (MCCS) held their Annual Sports Banquet in the MCCS cafeteria, with former NFL player, Jesse Solomon, as the guest speaker. Before Solomon took the podium, students and guests enjoyed a great meal of baked and fried chicken, vegetables and baked beans, plus dessert.
Solomon encouraged the student athletes to be willing to give their best, even when times are hard, and to maintain high standards of character and to be accountable to God and others for their choices. Solomon, who grew up with MCCS Athletic Director Carl Joseph, said jokingly it took a camera crew coming to town to film Joseph during their high school years before he realized that Joseph had only one leg. He used Joseph as an example of someone who worked hard and achieved great goals because he was determined to succeed. Solomon described several of his own obstacles that he cleared to achieve his goal of making it as a player in the National Football League (NFL). Solomon played for several teams during his nine-year tenure, ending a great career with the Miami Dolphins.
Afterwards, the various coaches presented athletic and academic awards to their hard-working students who performed well on the court or field and in the classroom. Congratulations to all these kids as they continue to advance in their efforts to be the best they can be.