By Joyce Oscar
It’s a crisp cool Saturday morning and hundreds of students gather in the lobby of the Betty Gray Atrium at Pebblebrook High School checking in to kick start their college careers. They’re about to take the SAT. High school athletes desiring to play college sports must take the ACT and/or SAT. Receiving high test scores will increase a recruit’s chances of an athletic and/or academic scholarship.
In a classroom with 23 other students, sitting nervously on the front row, is 2017 Christian Clark. He taps his freshly sharpened No. 2 pencil against the desk and situates his calculator as the booklets are being passed out and instructions are being given. Four hours go by and the pressure is finally lifted. The test is over and all there is to do now is to await the scores.
Thousands of athletes deal with this pressure year-after-year. It’s not enough to just be great on the athletic field or courts, academics play a major role in the determinant of whether or not their athletic career will continue or ends after their senior year of high school.
Christian has taken the test once before, but to ensure he receives the best score he possibly can, he chose to take it again. “I feel this test was a little easier, it’s the new one. The questions were easier to understand,” said 
Christian in an interview with me after the test.
The Marietta High School running back stated that the test was vital to him continuing his football career. So he made sure he was well prepared. “We didn’t have a game last night, because of fall break so I made sure I went to sleep early. I didn’t want to fall asleep during the test.”
Christian has already started his collegiate plans and hopes to stay in-state. He’s chosen KSU, Valdosta State, University of West Georgia, and Georgia State University to apply to so far. As far as athletic scholarships, he’s receiving interest from the University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky.
No matter where he chooses to go, success is certain to be waiting on him. Check out some of Christian’s film below.
