Students may know senior Michael Phillips as a middle linebacker for the varsity football team, but they may not know him for his academics. Phillips has 9 full rides to college for academics, and has just recently received $250 for being named Scholar Athlete of the Week sponsored by The Tobey Auto Group and Channels 22 and 45. He soon will be competing for a $5,000 scholarship through the program. Though Phillips loves the game of football, he loves science and math too. He plans on studying microbiology and virology in college.

“I put every ounce that I have in football, I give it my one hundred percent, if I didn’t then what would be the point of playing? But I put one hundred ten percent in when it comes to academics. To me, academics have to come before sports because I know what I excel in,” said Phillips.

The Englewood native doesn’t plan on playing football in college, but he does plan on staying focused to get his doctorate degree.

“It would be amazing to play on that high of a level… I respect the NFL players and would love to play in it, but I know what I love and what I am passionate about, and that is academics and becoming a micro biologist,” said Phillips.

His career path will require extra schooling.

“The extra two years will be worth it, I won’t have an issue with the extra school time because I love it,” said Phillips.

Phillips has worked hard on the field, but academics are what is paying off.