When Melik Frost made the move from John Paul II Catholic School to May River High School before his senior year, the Sharks knew they were getting a good football player.
But they got so much more.
Sure, Frost has been a standout on the football field for the Sharks, first as a running back and more recently filling in at linebacker after an injury to a key starter, to help May River advance to its first Class 3A Lower State championship game. But he also has excelled in the classroom and the community, which is why he is one of 12 national finalists for the Heisman High School Scholarship.
Each of the 12 national finalists — six senior boys and six senior girls — is guaranteed a $1,000 scholarship, and the one boy and one girl selected as the national winners will receive a $5,000 award. The national winners will be announced at noon ET on Dec. 4 on the Heisman High School Scholarship Twitter and Facebook channels.
“Melik is definitely a young man who has the core values we are always teaching our players,” May River football coach Rodney Summers said, citing “ICE” for integrity, class, and excellence. “Melik is a fine young man on and off the field who has those core values.”
On the football field, Frost started the season as the Sharks’ biggest rushing threat — he averages 8 yards per carry — but when Summers needed him to jump across the ball and solidify the defense, Frost showed his usual selflessness and made the switch.
“He’s very deserving and works very hard to be an outstanding student-athlete,” Summers said. “We are lucky to have him.”
Putting the team before himself comes honestly to Frost, who says he is following the example set by his mother, who always goes above and beyond for her children.
“My mother is my hero,” Frost said in his scholarship application. “My hunger to succeed comes from my mother and my community.”
Frost has always had a heart for service. Every summer when he visits his grandfather in Maryland, he makes several trips to an area soup kitchen to serve the homeless. He also gives back to the sport he loves by helping the Hardeeville Canes youth football program, and he’s involved in numerous community service projects through his membership in the National Honor Society and National Beta Club.
Frost is also part of the Men of Strength (MOST) Club, which is an organization of young men committed to preventing rape and domestic violence.
And he boasts a stellar 4.409 GPA.
“It means a lot to be selected,” Frost said. “Especially coming from a small town, it shows that if you put in the work you can be rewarded.”