Senior Spotlight: Ethan Cockey of Eastside

Senior Ethan Cockey got a chance to participate in four sports at Eastside High School.

He played golf, tennis, soccer, and was on the swimming team.

Among his achievements was being the golfer with the highest GPA on his team.

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His favorite quote or favorite coach saying was from former golf coach and current athletics director Philip Crutchfield who said, “Give love a chance” – a reference about making putts.

“Ethan is really great to have on your team,” Crutchfield said. “He always keeps the mood light and fun. He has a strong desire to achieve and improve. He’s never shy about asking for input to improve his game.”

Some of the things that Ethan will remember the most when he looks back on his high school experiences is bonding with teammates, especially while at the state tennis championships his senior year, and the drive to away matches for all sports.

One of his favorite high school sports moments was winning the playoff for the Highway 20 Cup in golf for the first-time his senior year. It was the first time that the cup was back at Eastside since 2016.

Ethan-Cockey-Eastside

“Watching Ethan’s expression during matches, you had a sense, he was having fun,” said current golf coach Eric Baez, who noted that Ethan played with a “cool confidence and an unparalleled work ethic” which helped him to make game-winning shots such as the one he made in the Highway 20 Cup vs. Palatka High School. “Being an International Baccalaureate student alone is a marathon of many hours of homework in a pursuit to a higher calling in academia.”

Baez said that Ethan earned the co-captain title by “bringing his radiant positivity day in and day out.” He was always finding time to help the many new faces on the team not only to become better athletes, but better student athletes.

“It’s no wonder he won for the second year in a row the Academic Champion Award at the John and Anne Ives Golf Classic in 2020,” noted Baez.

Ethan’s plans after high school are to study microbiology at the University of Florida and teach tennis at Oak Hall School.

“Ethan comes from a long line of Eastside Rams and he will make us and his family proud,” Crutchfield said.

This is the latest in our summer “Senior Spotlight” series recognizing some of the top area student athletes from the Class of 2021.

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