By Derrick Smith

Athletes have many people that try to have an influence on them throughout their career. Some of these may be positive influences, while others may end up being negative. But it is up to the athlete to understand and figure out the situation.

Hagen Hacker has had a special group of people that has been in his corner for his entire career and have helped him become the athlete and the person that he is today.

“My family have been big role models for me throughout my life,” Hagen said. “They always push me to be a better athlete and a better person. I am truly thankful for them and their impact on my life.”

Hacker is a junior at Grove High School where he is a multisport athlete for the Ridgerunners. He plays pitcher, outfielder, and basically anywhere needed on the baseball field, while on the basketball court he leads the team at point guard. On the football field he lines up at wide receiver on offense and defensive back on defense. He loves all three sports and has played them since he was very young. Over those years, Hagen has put in a lot of time and energy to become the best he can be.

“In order to be the best, you have to work harder than the best,” he said. “There is a lot of hard work in season and in the offseason. But the thing to remember is that all your hard work will pay off at some point in the future.”

Hacker has created some great memories during his years of playing sports. One of his favorite memories is when he reached a basketball milestone for his career and put his name in the history book

“My favorite memory was breaking the school record for points in a single game,” he said. “Being able to celebrate that moment with my teammates and coaches was really great. Also knowing that the work and sacrifice was paying off was a great feeling.”