Foundation QB earns MVP honors at FBU Top Gun camp

NATE MARRERO
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

To be the best out of 1,500 competitors is quite an accomplishment.

Sabby Meassick has done it twice.

The Foundation Academy rising eighth-grader recently was named FBU Top Gun’s all-camp team MVP July 11. He earned the same honor last year. 

“I wanted to get that MVP award again,” Meassick said. “(It made) my day feel awesome.”

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
Meassick’s love for football began when he was 4 years old. Seeing his favorite team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on TV played a big role in igniting his passion for the sport. 

During his sixth-grade year, Meassick began to realize how good he was as a quarterback. Not only was he starting to lap the competition, but also he knew he would continue to improve as he got older.

One of the coaches who has helped Meassick realize his potential and improve is Chris Leak. Leak, who played quarterback and won a national championship at the University of Florida, has been working with Meassick since 2017. 

“He’s trained me a lot since like 2017,” Meassick said. “He’s taught me a lot, and I got a lot better.”

TOP GUN
Meassick earned an invitation to his third consecutive FBU Top Gun Camp following his participation in a regional camp four months ago.

At the FBU Top Gun camp, which took place July 9 to 11, quarterbacks went through a series of drills, including 7-on-7s and 1-on-1s. Meassick’s experience from the previous two FBU camps helped him find his rhythm early.

“When I started going on a roll — like completing back-to-back-to-back passes — I started to know that I was on a roll, and I was doing great,” Meassick said.

Between being the reigning MVP and competing with players from throughout the country, Meassick felt the pressure to succeed. 

And camp leaders took notice.

“It was great,” Meassick said of earning MVP honors. “I wasn’t surprised, because I always do good at camps, but it still feels good to win MVP.” 

A SOLID FOUNDATION
Meassick isn’t the only new face at Foundation Academy. After being the head coach at Foundation Academy for 13 years, Brad Lord decided to hand the reigns to his defensive coordinator and assistant head coach, Andre Walker. 

After the spring, Meassick’s family made the decision to transfer from Lake Highland Prep to Foundation Academy. The Lions’ culture and their track record of success made them the right choice for Meassick and his family.

With summer workouts and 7-on-7 tournaments fully underway, Meassick has begun to build a good relationship with Walker. 

“We started working out,” Meassick said. “Doing conditioning, weightlifting, and we also had a 7-on-7, so getting to know him better and the place that he runs makes me know him a little bit better.”

So far, Foundation Academy has reached the semifinals in two 7-on-7 tournaments before being eliminated. The tournaments have given Meassick a chance to build rapport with his teammates before the start of the fall season. 

“I feel like we’re jelling really well,” Meassick said. “My connection with them has gotten better over a period of time that we’ve been together. I feel like we’ll get better and better as the season goes along, so we compete for a state championship.

“You feel so achieved when you know you’re an eighth-grader playing on varsity high school football against kids that are three, four years older than you, going into college, having Division I scholarships,” Meassick said. “It makes you feel really great that you know that you’re on that competitive level to play.”