The Sunlake High School football team has phenomenal athletes, but one stands out: Nathan Merriman. Nathan is one of the best Running Backs that Sunlake’s football program has ever seen. He carries the team in many plays and leads them to victory. Nathan improved the team’s performance in this season’s games with his ability to run fast, think fast, and his strength. As only a freshman he landed a position on Sunlake’s varsity team, a goal many only dream of achieving. Nathan’s determination doesn’t only stop at sports, as he also excels in academics. He maintains an average of A with a few B’s throughout the school year. He’s able to manage his time to excel in school and sports. During the 2024 season, he was able to receive 6 awards for “Player of the Game.”

Coach Fulmer has been helping Nathan train since freshman year, and when asked why he added Nathan to the team even though he was just a freshman, he shared that, “Choosing him wasn’t a difficult decision, he has been one of the best athletes in the program since the day he walked on this campus… the team needed a quality running back… his speed, and strength.” His coach also expressed how Nathan was an excellent contribution to the team since he led them in, “Almost every offensive category as far as rushing yardage, receiving yardage, number of catches, and his willingness to block.” Whatever the play calls for him to do he will do it for his team with his full ability. During the game against Cypress Creek High School Nathan had 22 carries, he rushed 231 yards, and scored 2 touchdowns, which broke the single-game school rushing record.

Nathan’s inspiration to start football started at a young age when he used to watch the NFL, and wished to be running on NFL fields as a player, and inspire kids on the other side of the TV just like he was inspired by his role models. Nathan had a harsh time in football practices specifically during spring workouts with coach Thacker. According to Nathan, “We had to run stadiums with 45-pound plates and it was really hot outside.” Although he had rough practices that didn’t stop him from his dream of being an all-star. His determination to the sport is shown through all his awards and his stats, he’s 4th in the district for yards and 3rd in touchdowns. He is only a sophomore and has 2 more years of his high school football career to achieve even greater accomplishments than the ones already achieved.

Nathan Merriman’s football career is only just starting off and he has already proven himself to be a great asset to the team. Not only by helping them score but also by giving the team positive energy and encouraging them to be better. Nathan has a future ahead of him in football, and it seems promising based on what he has done so far.