2023 Shorewood High School graduates Delea Martins, Ishmael Emmanuel-Holloway, and Andre Valentine have all decided to pursue collegiate sports at each of their respective universities. 

Valentine, who plays football for UW-Oshkosh, has found that college football is more demanding in terms of commitment than high school football.

“It’s a lot more work, more than I was used to in high school, and there’s way more expectations for you to get better and keep improving,” Valentine said. “My day starts off by waking up at 5:30 and being at lifts by 6:00, and I probably lift for about an hour or two, then on Fridays we do an hour of conditioning.”

This season has been a major adjustment in comparison to high school, requiring physical and mental dedication.

“[Everyone has] always looked out for me and always made sure I was trying as best as I could and putting a hundred percent effort [in] every single time regardless of if I felt like I had made progress already or not, there’s always improvement,” Valentine said.

More than anything, Valentine credits his family for not only inspiring him to pursue his football career but also supporting him through every aspect.

“I would say my three biggest role models are my dad, my older brother and my grandpa… they’ve always been there for me in every way and pushed me to be the best version of myself,” Valentine said.

Valentine is grey-shirted this year, meaning he has not taken the field yet, but will have four additional years of eligibility to play. 

“My biggest goal as of right now is to go on the field next year and be able to start for the team,” Valentine said. 

Additionally, Valentine notes an improvement in his time management skills since the start of the first semester.

“I’ve just been learning how to use my time more wisely and pushing certain things aside that aren’t important right now and just worrying about football and my education,” Valentine said.

Oshkosh went 6-4 the 2023 season, and Valentine is optimistic about making the playoffs and continuing their success.

“We had a good season overall, but we’re always looking to improve our successes. We’re about to start spring training which will help us reach that goal,” Valentine said.

Martins, who runs the 400-meter dash for UNC-Chapel Hill, acknowledges how much more focus and dedication is required to accomplish her running goals.

“The practices are a lot longer, I do a lot more rehab, I lift more, I eat more,” Martins said. “I’m just becoming more of an athlete than I was in high school.”

Martins’ experience with being part of the high school track team and her club team, MKE Speed, has driven her to take part in collegiate sports and taught her a lot about the team dynamic.

“Maintaining a friendship with my teammates that doesn’t get too competitive is a big thing in track, especially since it’s so individual,” Martins said. “If I’m friends with someone who runs the same event as me, it can be hard, because they might be doing better than me, or worse.”

Emmanuel-Holloway, who plays football for North Dakota State College of Science, junior college, expresses gratitude for the various opportunities available and the supportive flexibility of coaches.

“I have the resources and I have the people here around me to help me get through those tasks,” Emmanuel-Holloway said. “I have [everything] I need to complete the steps to achieving success.”

Emmanuel-Holloway has recently recovered from a high school injury, currently a medical red-shirt on his team. 

“Most importantly, I would like to work on my health and make sure that I’m recovered well and just taking care of my body to prevent any other injuries,” Emmanuel-Holloway said. 

Being eligible to play next season, Emmanuel-Holloway is striving on making a full-recovery and pushing himself to improve.

“[I want to] get back to that hundred percent mark that I want to be at, as far as my sport, [then] transfer out to a four-year university and continue playing the sport that I love, [hopefully] someday, going [beyond] that,” Emmanuel-Holloway said.

For all of the athletes, a day of training usually incorporates a few hours of strength training, conditioning, and workouts.

“I feel a lot more disciplined now and I know how to treat my body so much better,” Martins said. “I’m learning a lot and I just feel like it’s going to pay off in the real world some day.”

Martins has started off her season strong, securing both a personal best and a title.

“I won ACC Freshman of the week, that was pretty cool,” Martins said. “It was my first race in college ever so that was a lot of fun. I’ve [also] gotten a personal record in the 400 where I ran half a second better than my best time which was 55.25.”

Besides current achievements in their freshman season, all athletes are looking forward to the next three years of collegiate athletics. 

“I want to [continue to] win ACCs,”Martins said “I also want to qualify for Nationals and do well there in the next three years.”

According to the athletes, being Shorewood alumni has led them to achieve big things on and off the field.

 “Long term, I [strive to be] a good leader to the team and showing that someone from a small town like Shorewood can make an impact at a school like this.” Valentine said.

Emmanuel-Holloway has discovered a lot about what makes a better football player and overall athlete this past season.

“I feel like to be a good [athlete], your mind has to be [in the] right [place] and you just have to know how to operate, because you don’t want to be in a part of a sports team without having input, and you want to be that person that people look up to to lead,” Emmanuel-Holloway said.

Additionally, he emphasizes for future young athletes to never give up on their goals.

“If you have something that you want to do and complete, and somebody is telling you otherwise, let your experience be your choice,” Emmanuel-Holloway said.