Athletes Making the Grade

In the first semester of his sophomore year, offensive lineman Alex Maroldi of Burbank failed Spanish, got a D in English and had a 1.8 grade-point average.

By the first semester of his senior year, he had an A in science, an A in English, an A in government and an A in every other class he was taking.

His transformation in the classroom has earned him a special award. He will be honored March 7 for having the most improved grade-point average as part of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame scholar-athlete program.

The San Fernando Valley chapter will present the award at the Sportsman’s Lodge in Studio City.

“I think it’s a great honor,” he said.

Maroldi will share the stage with 49 seniors who will be recognized for their contributions on and off the field. Dozens of other seniors will be honored over the next month in the San Gabriel Valley, the Inland Empire, Orange County, Riverside and South Los Angeles at similar banquets.

These are teenagers who deserve standing ovations because they set the example for what can be accomplished in athletics and academics. Every one of them has succeeded in juggling responsibilities and displaying exemplary leadership.

Some being honored are among the most well-known in the region, proving again that you can be a standout in the classroom and on the field.

USC-bound quarterback Garrett Green of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and Stanford-bound offensive lineman Sione Fua of Encino Crespi will each pick up scholar-athlete awards.

So will Stanford-bound offensive lineman Joe Dembesky of Westlake Village Oaks Christian, who once a month helps package food for those less fortunate and visits a hospital pediatric ward. It has taught him to give back in his community.

“Every month, I can’t wait to help out,” he said. “It’s our responsibility to share the wealth. Life is about community and relationships.”

Receiver Marcus Sopher of North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake was profoundly influenced by working last summer with a UCLA transplant unit that procured donated organs. It may lead him to pursue a career in medicine.

“It gave me a feel for what doctors do,” he said. “I was in the operating room watching live surgery.”

Receiver Josh Baker of Newbury Park has built houses in Mexico with his church. Linebacker Tyler Hawkins of Canyon Country Canyon has received an appointment to the Naval Academy, which he hopes is the first step to becoming a Navy SEAL.

Maroldi’s turnaround is one parents and students can learn from. He experienced the perfect teenage storm as a sophomore. He had a new girlfriend, new cellphone, new car, new driver’s license. Suddenly, he wasn’t doing his homework or finding time to study, and his grades plummeted.

Thanks to parental intervention, Maroldi got the message that his academic performance was unacceptable. His parents took away the car, the cellphone and imposed restrictions on when he could see his girlfriend. They told him he couldn’t play football unless his grades improved.

“They did things to motivate me to try harder,” Maroldi said. “I didn’t realize the consequences. I didn’t realize how good it felt to have good grades.”

By his senior year, Maroldi had learned his lesson and was fulfilling his academic potential.

“He loves football, and sometimes that’s the only way to motivate him ... to take away the things he loves,” his mother, Nancy, said. “He grew up, got a little more mature. You think they have it all together when they’re in high school, but the older they get, the more involved you need to be.”

There will be lots of proud parents at the banquets, and they deserve to take a bow, too, because their children have found a path to success aided by their support.

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

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Honors

Upcoming National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame scholar-athlete banquets in the Southland:

*--* * San Gabriel Valley Brookside Country Club March 6 * San Fernando Valley Sportsman’s Lodge March 7 * Inland Empire National Orange Show grounds March 9 * Los Angeles Culver City Radisson Hotel March 10 * Riverside Eagle Glen Country Club March 19 * Orange County Anaheim Convention Center March 20

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