My name is Keanu Andrade; I am a three year varsity football player at De La Salle High School in Concord, California. I have played in two (2) North Coast Section titles and two (2) State Championship Games. My junior season our team won the CIF State Championship game and we also won two (2) North Coast Section Championships. I also play rugby and for the past two years I have traveled to France, Portugal, and Belgium as a starter (1st team) on the USA U-18 National Rugby Team. I take pride in the fact that I am the starting middle linebacker despite my nontraditional size for this position. I make a conscious effort to ensure that everyone on the field knows that my size is not a detriment to my ability to hit and play the inside linebacker position. I led the team in tackles my junior season and currently lead the team in tackles thus far in my senior season. My mom is a single mom who raised my three older sisters and me since I was only 2 years old. Together we have endured & overcome many challenges and we are very close. Regrettably, I am a bit behind on the college application process. My mom was diagnosed with colon cancer on my first day of class, my junior year. Because of her diagnosis, I became distracted and as a result my GPA dropped a bit during my junior year. Not until recently, despite my success as an athlete at DLS I have not been actively, assertive and proactive in sending my highlights and stats to coaches to play at the college level. As the only boy, I felt a need to be there for my family and I was distraught & torn about the decision to go away to college considering my mom’s diagnosis. I used my passion for sports as an escape to release my worry and frustrations. Throughout the last year and a half, I never allowed my family crisis to interfere with my athletic drive, goals and performance. I consistently remained committed and persevered as a focused athlete. I have full support from my family who has encouraged me to pursue my dream and my goal to earn a scholarship and become a college athlete. Unfortunately, because of the football program that I am privileged to be a part of, we are very deep in all positions with many excellent qualified athletes. De La Salle High School is a magnet for serious, competitive athletes who possess skill, determination and athleticism. Because of our reputation with an impeccable win record and very high scoring games, the starters usually only play the first half of every game to allow opportunity for the second, third, and fourth string to have playing time. As a result, my stats are only based on the first half of every game. I mention this fact because if I was ever able to play a full game my stats would be substantially higher. I am proud that I have not missed a game since I started High School. I have played 38 games so far during my Varsity career and potentially, I have 2 more games to play this season. I also want to reiterate that I am capable and qualified to play many positions. Because we are so deep in talent, I play where my coaches need me each season, in the best interest of the entire team. One of my strengths as an MLB is my ability to read the plays and execute fast. So far this season I have made 100% of my reads. I am proud to say that I am a “coachable athlete” in every sport I’ve played; at least that is what my mom has been told by my coaches in all sports throughout the years. I want to play football in college. I am physically fit, dedicated to studying the game and my opponents and I am able to learn and retain new information, new skills, and new plays very easily & quickly. My work ethic and my commitment as an athlete are phenomenal! - See more at: https://nationalpid.com/athlete/profile/3229#sthash.Oz8bP2Eq.dpuf