WEST POINT, Ala. — In this interview, I talked to former West Point football and baseball player, Eli Folds. Eli made a lot of great memories on and off the field at West Point.
“My favorite baseball memories has to be winning a crazy game at Toyota Field and clinching a playoff spot my junior year at Lawrence County,” Folds said. “Honestly, any time I was playing at home, there isn’t another feeling like running out of the tunnel. You can ask any other football player that and you’ll be told the same thing. My favorite high school memories have to come from football season. Friday nights were like nothing you can imagine. I loved the pep rallies and the school spirit. I’ll never forget rolling the trees with my friends after wins.”
Eli played for some great coaches in football and baseball and took away so much from them.
“I was blessed to come through West Point, and I played for some amazing baseball coaches. They taught me so much, but most importantly, how to take on the things more important in life instead of just sports. I also learned how to keep a positive attitude and work really hard. They really wanted us to work hard and be tough and that there will be more difficult things in life that they helped prepare me for through sports,” Folds said. “I loved the coaching staff. They preached to us about how football doesn’t last and to cherish the times we were on that field.”
Eli learned so much during his time at West Point and feels blessed to be a Warrior. He will deeply miss being at West Point this year.
“I feel like West Point just has the best community. I had a good relationship with my teachers and all of the faculty there. I learned a lot of important lessons throughout my years there,” he said. “I learned how to work hard in school, to not procrastinate, get ahead, and pay attention. They taught me ways to make it to college and I plan on being a teacher one day myself. I will miss the friendships and bonds I made with my coaches, teammates, and friends. The community there is great, and I could not have asked for a better high school experience.”
Eli will also miss being a leader to the younger players and they soaked up as much as they could from him. He gave some advice to the students that just started high school in August.
“I tried to have a positive mindset every day when we went out to practice, which is hard sometimes, but I felt like I did that. I tried to do what I can every day to help and build the younger players. I hope I made an impact on their lives and I will miss seeing and being on the field with those guys every day,” he said. “My advice to the students just starting high school is to have fun and live the high school experience. If you’re thinking about doing something, do it, because my best high school memories came from doing extracurricular activities.”
Eli played with a special group of guys in football and baseball, and they had a great bond during his time at West Point.
“Whether it was football season or baseball season, I felt like we were so tight as friends throughout those seasons. I feel like as a senior, I was close with the juniors all the way to the freshmen and those guys have always meant a lot to me and they always will.”
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