By: Nate Calvin
MONTPELIER – In the final home game of his career on February 17, Montpelier senior Garrett Walz eclipsed 1,000 career points in front of the hometown crowd.
The accomplishment was the realization of a goal that he began thinking about in the eighth grade.
“I’ve dreamed about this accomplishment since I was in 8th grade and I didn’t really take it serious until the last season and a half”, said Walz.
“I realized that I was close to being able to, but it was going to take a lot of work, so I decided to put the work in and try to end my career with a high note.”
“I had to tell myself that if I wanted this accomplishment then I must fight through the ups and downs and not just give up once things got hard.”
“His drive makes him what he is, he tends to know what he wants and goes for it”, said head coach Nick Ramos, who just completed his second season guiding the Locos. “
“He knew he had to get stronger this season, so he added 20 pounds of muscle. He is goal oriented and isn’t afraid of work.”
“He brings competitiveness to this team. Never wants to lose a game, even in practice”, added Ramos.
“He has evolved into more of a scorer. The first two seasons he had upper classmen who could get the ball in the hoop, so he was more of a facilitator.”
“These last two years he has had to be more of a bucket getter and has excelled in that role.”
“Garrett will be missed. Seldom do players of Garrett’s caliber come through small towns. We were glad to have him”, concluded Ramos.
Walz, the son of Wendy and Derek Walz, has always been able to count on family support throughout his career.
“My family has been extremely supportive through my whole career starting from the beginning. They used to take me to tournaments that were over an hour away when I played AAU basketball in 5-6th grade.”
“My mother took me to the courts to run drills starting from a young age while my father would always pull me aside and give me tips on what to do to improve my skills. They would always come and support me during the games as well.”
Besides excelling athletically, Walz has been active in my other activities. “I used to participate in 4-H for eight years in which I went to state. I also received outstanding teen award through the 4-H program”, he began.
“At the fair I won Grand Champion as well as Reserve Grand Champion for the goat dairy market projects.”
“I participated in open dairy goat shows in which I showed the families’ herd competitively. I am also active in the Kunkle United Brethren church as well.”
“I was on the Dean’s List at Northwest State Community College during the classes I have taken out there through College Credit Plus.
Walz was homeschooled from the 2nd-10th grades before beginning College Credit Plus classes as a junior.
With his high school career winding down, Walz has a few memories that standout. “The most recent is obviously reaching my 1,000 points and all the support I have received from the community and friends.”
“Another memory that I love is making a buzzer beater shot in order to beat North Central by one this season.”
“Lastly a memory that I have is during my sophomore season beating Paulding by a 3/4 court shot that was made by a teammate. The court then was swarmed and everyone came running to celebrate.”
After graduation, Walz has his plans laid out. “I plan on working for a construction company named Stand Firm LLC for a couple of years.”
“Once I have gained some experience in that field, I plan on opening a business that does the same type of construction which is house moving and foundation repair.’
“Once I have started my own business, I plan on looking for other opportunities that will open that can be taken advantage of.”
Nate can be reached at sports@thevillagereporter.com