Each week during the school year the Sarasota Herald-Tribune selects boys athletes that stood out the week before based on a combination of coach reports and school nominations sent to sports htincoming@gmail.com and our coverage. Those athletes are put in a poll sponsored by Central Florida Behavioral Health Network, Inc. each Monday on heraldtribune.com and you, our readers, vote on who you think did it best. To get to know our winners better, the Herald-Tribune will have a question-and-answer session with each athlete weekly.
The Herald-Tribune Boys Athlete of the Week sponsored by Central Florida Behavioral Health Network for Sept. 1-6 was Out-of-Door Academy quarterback Edouard Chaput. Chaput won the poll with 40.68% of the vote. Chaput completed 10 of 13 passes for 226 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-0 win in a rivalry game against Saint Stephen’s Episcopal.
When and why did you start playing football?
Chaput: I started playing football probably the beginning of high school in Canada, so I think it was seventh grade. I just wanted to try it, and I kind of fell in love with the sport. I knew a lot of people who played, and I wanted to play, but didn’t have the chance to play in elementary school to play seriously beyond playing at recess. I liked the sport, so I wanted to play on a team in real games, so when I got to high school I started playing.
What is your favorite all-time football memory?
Chaput: When we won a provincial championship two years ago. We had an undefeated season, and the finishing touch of winning a championship felt good. We had a really good team, and the vibe of the team was really good, so when we won everyone was happy and celebrating. It was a really good memory.
What has been your favorite moment this season?
Chaput: Running out on the field in the first game. I had been waiting a while for this moment, and it was a great moment. Seeing my parents in the stands and being on the field again was a great moment.
What makes you most confident in this year’s team?
Chaput: Every position is good. We don’t have any holes in our team. Everybody is good and everybody can make a play in an important moment. That’s helped us win games.
What has been your most humbling moment in football?
Chaput: Last year, I got injured, and when I recovered and came back, I didn’t get the starting quarterback job right away. When I came back, I wasn’t the one starting, and it kind of hit me, like I still have some work to do.
What is your goal in football?
Chaput: To play at the highest level I can. I want to play until I can’t anymore.
Who is your favorite football player and why?
Chaput: I would go with Tom Brady. He was a really good quarterback, and he was the first football player I started watching when I was younger.
Editor’s note: Athlete of the Week Q&As are published in the Sunday sports section.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: The Herald-Tribune Boys Athlete of the Week for Sept. 1-6 winner ODA football player Edouard Chaput
Reporting by Vinnie Portell, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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