By Derrick Smith

High school students can have any number of people that they look up to. Celebrities, professional athletes, and social media influencers are just a few types of people that could be on that list. Maddux Clifford has a couple of role models, one of which has always been there for him.

“My dad has always been a big role model for me,” he said. “He’s taught me a lot and has helped shape me into the person I am today. An influencer of mine is Baylen Levine. He is a YouTuber who tried to spread laughter and love throughout his community. I try to do that as well in my daily life.”

Maddux is a junior at Little Axe High School where he plays baseball, basketball, and football. He has done a lot to get to where he is today, and he puts in the work to be his best.

“Constantly practicing is one key,” he said. “You also have to have discipline and have fun when you are competing. My motivation comes from my family, my girlfriend, and my friends. I try my hardest to make sure I’m the best I can be for them.”

Ethan Feuerborn, the head football coach for Little Axe, says that Clifford is an all-around student-athlete.

“Maddux is an outstanding young man that started for us as a sophomore,” he said. “He is a member of the National Honor Society and has the highest GPA on the team. He helps out with our little league football programs where his younger brother played and helped paint the game field for Friday nights.”

When Maddux goes up against his teammates in practice situations, he says there are some guys he enjoys going against the most.

“For football, I think it’s Michael Carter,” he said. “And for baseball, it’s Kameron Farris. For basketball, it’s the folding chair and the scorebook.”

Though he loves sports and representing Little Axe, Maddux says that there is one thing that he feels very strongly about.

“The double-decker taco from Taco Bell should haver have been discontinued.”