As a 6-4, 290 pound lineman, Woodland Hills' Antonio Nash is rough and tough in the trenches.
“He's an enormously big man,” says Wolverines coach Brian Tarrant. “He works out in the weight room. He's a gym rat.”
But between whistles, the senior is a gentle giant.
“I feel like the person who calms people down,” Nash says. “People get all amped up and I'm like ‘calm down before we get a flag.’ When they try to break out a fight or something crazy will happen, I try to deescalate before it escalates.”
It’s an approach to leadership that Tarrant says is a nice compliment to even his coaching style.
“I'm very, very vocal,” Tarrant says. “I'm a screamer. Antonio is always one that keeps everybody calm. ‘Coach is just doing this right now. He's trying to get this out of us.’
And it translates to Nash's love of his community.
“I think I get a lot of wanting to give back from my mother,” Nash says. “When we were growing up a lot, it's always you get what you give. She always helped to give a lot when we had nothing.”
Giving seems to be in Nash's DNA. He's involved in several service groups. often participating in outreach for those in need.
That includes the family business. He'll help at his father's landscaping company, which will provide services at low cost to those who need it most.
“It's good to give out to people who aren't so fortunate,” he says. “If you can't go to the store or get a meal, something has to happen. Why not be the change?”
They’re all qualities he hopes will inspire the next set of helping hands. And his coach sees as his ticket to life's next big step.
“All he wants to do is work for everything,” Tarrant says. “He deserves the world. I'm hoping that he gets it, but he is an example of what a young person should be today.”