By Liam O’Brien
Managing Editor of Sports
Football and wrestling captain Adam Josephson has been named the 2015 Male Mendelson award recipient, a distinguished athletic honor awarded to him at Senior Awards Night.
The distinction comes well-deserved to the senior, who anchored a dominating defensive approach for the Lions on the gridiron this past fall, frightened the opposition at wrestling meets across the state in the winter, and started at long-stick midfielder for the lacrosse team in the spring before suffering a season-ending injury.
The Mendelson award was named for the late Danny Mendelson, a South junior who died on the last day of school in 1968. He had just been elected captain of the varsity football team, competed on the varsity wrestling squad, and had already been named an All-Star centerfielder for the varsity baseball team. Every year, the Mendelson award honors graduating seniors whose athletic abilities and devotion to the school stand out.
“He never skips out on anything when the going gets tough,” said junior wrestler Gabriel Betancourt. “He truly leads by example and he helps to motivate his teammates and help those who are down or in a funk.”
Josephson has served as a model athlete for multiple programs throughout his sporting career at South, drawing the admiration of coaches for his tremendous work ethic.
While many athletes have mixed attitudes towards getting in shape for their respective sport, Josephson embraces the challenge, forcing himself to go beyond his limits to ensure that his preparation is unparalleled by the competition.
“He really gets after it in the weight room,” said Betancourt. “He also has a tremendous amount of focus before he steps onto the mat.”
While Josephson’s desire to unleash his full potential is undeniable on game day and on the practice field, the majority of his work comes before he steps on the field with his teammates.
“I’ve been training extremely hard in the summer, putting in work during practice and even training before and after practice sometimes,” Josephson said. “[This award], it means a lot to me because I worked very hard for all of my athletic accomplishments.”
Josephson is living proof that, in order to obtain a high level of performance when the bleachers are filled and the lights are switched on, the utmost physical preparation is required.
Despite his self-initiative being the primary reason for the accumulation of his results on the field, Josephson’s coaches also played a role in his preparation, pushing him beyond his limits on numerous occasions.
“Having [my coaches] pushing me to work harder [throughout my career] played a large role in developing my work ethic,” said Josephson. “I’m very thankful for all of my coaches.”
While the graduating senior did not attribute his success to a single coaching figure in particular, he singled out one group for providing him with the utmost amount of motivation.
“My wrestling coaches were the ones who pushed me the hardest,” he said. “They always pushed me past my limits.”
While Josephson has dedicated a tremendous amount of passion into his high school endeavors in the gym and on the playing field, his work will not conclude when he receives his diploma on Thursday.
The Mendelson Award winner will now prepare for his toughest venture yet, as he is set to enroll at the Virginia Military Institute this coming fall.
“I’m going to VMI which is a military school, so if I want to survive there I will need a even better work ethic that I have now,” said Josephson.
One thing’s for sure, those who have played alongside him have no doubt of his capability to succeed, regardless of the circumstances he may encounter along the way.
