The Times is proud to honor Wayne Central’s Sydney Howard as its Scholar Athlete of the Week.

The Gannon University soccer scholarship recipient also runs indoor and outdoor track, and plays basketball and flag football.

"Sydney is a great soccer player and indoor/outdoor track athlete," flag footballl coach, Kelly Paladino, tells The Times. "After receiving a scholarship to play soccer at Gannon University, she decided to experience other sports in her senior year. I’m so glad she decided to give basketball and flag football a try. Sydney joined the basketball program with basically no experience except for one year on the seventh-grade modified team."

Paladino adds a part he believes allows Sydney to stand out. "She could have joined the team and just gone through the motions and had an easy fun experience. That’s not Sydney; she came to work hard everyday and wanted extra sessions with me to get better. She immediately picked up (basketball) and was a starter after the first game. Make a long story short, she came in second for league defensive player of the year. She also led the team in minutes played per game."

Despite not having played a single down, her leadership qualities and work ethic helped earn her team captain honors. "Sydney leads by example," her coach boasts. "She is a humble star who doesn’t seek the accolades, but the cameras don’t lie! We have two eighth graders and six ninth graders on the team and she is such a great mentor--always giving words of encouragement and helping them become better teammates and players. When Sydney speaks people listen."

She adjusted to football quickly.

"On the football field she is one of the best in Section V." Paladino adds, noting that Howard collected ten touchdowns and four interceptions in her first five games. 

"She is super fast and covers a lot of ground on defense. I believe being a multi-sport athlete allows her to excel quickly in sports she hasn’t played before. She is learning more and more each day and hasn’t come close to her ceiling.

"For me, coaching Sydney has been a pure joy! She brings passion and the love of sports to whatever is needed to succeed. We always hope for athletes that want to learn and improve their skills, especially athletes with her abilities."

All honorees are nominated by county athletic directors.