Self-Motivation Key for Santa Fe's Maskolunas

Ethan Maskolunas never let anything get in his way when there was something he wanted to accomplish.

When he entered high school, he was about 5-feet-2 and 135 pounds. But his lack of size didn't matter. He played varsity football as a freshman at Santa Fe and was the starting catcher for the baseball team.

And he was a key player for both squads all four years of high school.

"I've always played hard," he said. "I never let my size dictate how I play."

So it shouldn't be a surprise he didn't let a busy athletic schedule interfere with his classwork. Maskolunas graduated as Santa Fe's salutatorian with a 4.39 GPA and is The Ledger's 2008 Boys Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

A highlight of his baseball career came his sophomore year against American Heritage. Maskolunas singled and scored during the Crimson Hawks' dramatic five-run rally in the seventh inning to tie the score, then singled and scored the winning run in the 6-5 win.

"It was weird because I thought we were done," Maskolunas said.

As a senior, Maskolunas hit .446 with 27 runs scored, and at 5-8, 175 pounds, he is big enough to be a solid college prospect. He plans to remain a catcher.

"I've always liked catching because you're always in the game," he said.

When he arrived on varsity, Santa Fe didn't have a catcher except for Nick McCully, whom Santa Fe coach Matt Franzino wanted to use as a pitcher. Being small at the time, Maskolunas didn't have a strong arm. But he more than made up for it in other aspects, so Franzino had no qualms about starting him at catcher right away.

Maskolunas' arm improved as a sophomore and became a strength his final two years.

Franzino also has seen several times how Maskolunas wouldn't let anything get in his way. In his freshman year, Maskolunas got sick as Santa Fe traveled to a playoff game. He threw up before the bus ride, on the bus ride and after the bus ride while the team was warming up. Then he went to Franzino, telling him he was ready to play. Maskolunas had a two-run single in the loss.

"He's one of the hardest working kids I've had," Franzino said. "He's special. As a coach, he's a reason why you do it. Because he's bright, he's a mental leader on the field."

Maskolunas balanced classwork and athletics constantly. Except for a small break in the winter, he was always playing sports - football in the fall and baseball in the spring.

"I've always been playing sports after school ever since I was little, so it's something I'm used to doing," he said. "I just try to get everything done when I can."

Maskolunas is self-motivated. He never had a set time to do homework.

"It was pretty much whenever I felt like doing it," said Maskolunas, whose favorite class is math. "I just knew I had to get it done, and I'd do it."

It rarely was a challenge for him to get everything done, perhaps only being challenged by AP history during his junior year because of all the tests.

"Most classes came easy," he said. "Every now and then, I'd have a class where I'd actually have to study and work harder."

Maskolunas isn't sure what college he'll go to - he's interested in the University of Florida, Stetson University in DeLand or Rhodes College in Memphis - and he hasn't decided on a major.

[Roy Fuoco can be reached at roy.fuoco@theledger.com or 863-802-7549.]