“Whether it is on the football field, in the classroom, or in his personal life, he demonstrates a relentless work ethic and inner desire for success.”

So Issaquah High Football Coach Chris Bennett described senior Grant Gellatly. But it was a tribute that could have applied equally to each of the five Issaquah School District seniors honored on Tuesday by local Rotarians as Student Athletes of the Year for 2009/10.

As Bennett pointed out, it was the ability to excel both on the field and off it, to be committed to the books as much as the training track, that marked these young men and women as leaders.

In this honor, Gellatly was joined by fellow Issaquah senior Kristin Maris, Liberty High School’s Alexis Court and Troy Solly, and Tiger Mountain High Community School’s Mike Johnson.

Gellatly’s exploits on the football field are well known – he was an All-State Running Back as a junior, a four-year football letter, and a member of the Eagle’s team that finished second in the state in 2008. He is also a three-year baseball letter, a sport that, along with football, he hopes to play in college.

Less well known is that Gellatly is an Honor Roll student, has a 3.85 grade point average (GPA), with a keen interest in business labor relations, physics and statistics. It is his academic statistics that earned him admission to Cornell University.

“Very rarely as a coach do you see your most talented player be your hardest worker,” Bennett wrote in recommending Gellatly.

Where Gellatly starred on the football field, Kristin Maris’ led by example on the soccer pitch.

A State Player of the Year in 2009, an Eagles Team Captain, and a member of the 3A State Championship team in her freshman year, Maris will leave Issaquah High as one of its most celebrated players.

But according to coach Tom Bunnell, it is her character as a person that sets Maris apart.

“Kristin is the first person to tell you she had great team mates, and is as humble of a superstar you will ever meet,” Bunnell wrote. “She takes this same demeanor off the field where she is an exceptional student who is involved in leadership activities in and out of school.”

An Athletes for Kids mentor and Honor Roll student with a 3.85 GPA, Maris plans to study public and community health at Western Washington University next year, where she will no doubt be a welcome addition to their soccer team.

“Alexis exemplifies what it means to be a great teammate,” Liberty High School softball coach Jessica Johnson wrote of Alexis Court.

One of those young women that appears comfortable on a sporting field or arena of any kind, Court has won awards in softball, soccer and basketball. Her list of sporting accolades is endless, including being voted “Most Inspirational” by her varsity basketball teammates.

But Court, a 4.0 student and ASB President, does more for her school than win games.

“She engages and inspires her school, serving as a role model for her peers by just being herself,” Johnson wrote.

Like Court, fellow Liberty senior Troy Solly excels at more than one game. With varsity letters in three sports, football, basketball and track, Solly is a previous winner of the National Football Foundation’s Seattle Scholar Athlete.

“Troy’s team-first attitude, his phenomenal work ethic, and his precise preparation are some of the traits that make him great,” said coach Andy Hall.

In the classroom, Solly maintains a 3.9 GPA, takes AP and Honors classes, and is a committed volunteer in the community. Oh, and he plays the French Horn.

Similarly, Tiger Mountain’s Mike Johnson has shown as much determination in his studies as he does on the wrestling mat.

Once a standout wrestler in the 152 pound division, Johnson said the sport was something of a family tradition.

“My brothers wrestled, my uncle, my dad, they all wrestled,” he said. And much of that family wrestling tree reaches back to Issaquah High School, where Johnson competed, as Tiger Mountain does not have its own sports teams.

A leader and a standout in the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps program, Johnson has learned the dedication and discipline it takes to succeed.

“Mike is a student that has always done an excellent job on all tasks assigned to him,” said teacher Sheila Thacker. “He has a positive attitude, a great smile, and is a kind young man with a great work ethic.”

The Reporter joins Rotary and the Issaquah School District in congratulating these tremendous young students on all their success, past, present and future.