ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Trei Ginn

Horizon High School football athlete and senior Trei Ginn became the first Hawk in school history to be named to the Cure-Classic All-Star team. He will participate in the 2022 Cure Bowl game, which is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, at the Exploria Stadium, Orlando.

How do you feel about being named to the Cure-Classic All-Star team? 
It feels great. That means I’m being recognized as someone of the best. But, of course, there is more that I can accomplish. … I’ve heard the Cure Bowl is a big deal, so it’s a huge honor. 

Tell us about your years as an athlete. 
I (started to take it seriously) when I was 8 years old. I didn’t like the contact that much. I didn’t like to get hit, so offense wasn’t really my strong suit. But I loved to play defense, and I was a safety when I was younger. … When I got older, I started watching football and I said, ‘I want to be one of those guys that scores a touchdown; I want to play offense.’ But then, I didn’t want to get tackled, so when I was little, you would see me try to hit the hole and use my speed into the outside and just run, and it worked.

Tell us about being a founding member of the Horizon Hawks.
Junior year — it was challenging. … We spent all the off-season lifting weights, trying to get faster, trying to get better. And then this last season, we were trying to show that our hard work was paying off. 

How do you feel being a part of the first graduating class at Horizon? 
It feels great. Instead of joining a legacy and trying to join a legacy, I’m creating one. So everything that we do, it’s a first. 

Why football for you? 
Because of the atmosphere. Especially in the high school games. Our Gateway game, it was going to be so packed, but the rain and the lightning came and (the game got canceled). 

What do you love about football as a sport? 
To watch my progression. I am addicted to watching my hard work pay off. If I work on a move, and I finally do it in a game, and it works great — it makes a great play. The atmosphere of it — it makes you pumped. You can break your arm, and you’ll be fine. You probably won’t even notice until after the game. 

What do you think makes you a unique football player? 
I would say my versatility. I can run the ball. I can pass if I need to. I can catch the ball — all of that. 

How do you believe you instill leadership in your team? 
I push through adversity. 

What’s your favorite movie? 
I’ll probably say “Captain America: Civil War,” because it was funny seeing all the Marvel heroes fighting against one another. … And it was really realistic, too. … But, the movie I’ll watch over and over again is “Black Panther.”

What’s your favorite hobby? 
Train. I know that includes football, but training is my favorite. I also like to watch football (and sports overall). I never thought I would watch soccer, but the World Cup is happening right now, and I’m watching it. But I didn’t know too much about it (before this year). 

What do you like to do on the weekends? 
Spend time with my family. I stay home with my family — especially this year, because I’m eight months out from moving out and going to college. Sundays, we use it to go to Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, and then we go home and watch a movie or do a cookout. My mom (Zoila) is all about family. My mom has a motto I want to get a tattoo of that says, “Relatives are by blood; family is by heart.”  

What are three things you would take with you to a deserted island? 
Definitely supplies like water and food. I’ll want to bring my family — I don’t know how I’m going to get through college without them. … And probably tools, so we could dig, chop wood and all that stuff we need to do to survive. 

What’s your favorite type of music? 
It depends on my mood. I like to listen to R&B and hip hop. R&B for when I’m chilling and want to clean, and then if I’m trying to push myself, it is hip hop.

What are three places you would like to visit? Why? 
Colorado, because I’ve always loved it. It’s a really outdoor state, there is so much to do outdoors. Massachusetts, because I want to see the area my mom grew up in, and another one would be Alabama — for football, and I have a lot of family there.