When George Coles decided to transfer from Atlantic County Institute of Technology to Holy Spirit High School, not only were new academic doors opened, his sports options grew, too.
Coles had played basketball as a freshman and sophomore at ACIT, but he quickly evolved into a three-sport athlete at Holy Spirit in Absecon.
“I really wanted to play football,” said Coles, an Absecon resident.
He arrived at Holy Spirit just in time. Last season was perfection for the Spartans, who went 8-0, including a West Jersey Football League Bracket A championship. They topped it off with a 39-0 Thanksgiving win over Atlantic City.
“It was a great feeling,” Coles said. “It was my first time playing, and we won it all. It was incredible.”
Coles suited up as a point guard for the Spartans basketball team in the winter and then played as a long stick midfielder for lacrosse in the spring. The Spartans went 10-5 in hoops, including an eight-game winning streak. The lacrosse team was also successful, going 12-2 with a nine-game winning streak.
He’s not sure which sport he likes the best, however. He said he just lives in the moment. “Whatever I’m playing, I love and I just try to get better.”
Coles is the starting cornerback on the football team’s defense, tasked with trying to shut down the top receiver on the opposition. The Spartans play a demanding schedule with several Division 1 players on the opposite sidelines, and the team sticks with the competition by emphasizing preparation.
“Every day we go hard in the weight room,” said Coles, who played youth football for the Absecon Blue Devils. “We go over film and try to get better all the time.”
The Spartans are 3-3 through their first half-dozen games this season. They face Winslow (5-2) and Saint Augustine (6-1) in the next two weeks as a tune-up before the playoffs begin. Then, they’ll once again play Atlantic City on Thanksgiving as the holiday season approaches. It’s an extra-special time in the Coles household, as the family usually gets a visit from his older brother, Falik, who is a Marine stationed in Germany.
“I think I want to be a Marine or a police officer because of my brother,” Coles said.
Until then, the focus is on football and helping the Spartans climb back on top of the mountain. “We just have to work even harder this year and try to pick up where we left off,” Coles said. “We have a lot of work ahead of us.”
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