Following footsteps
MERIDIAN — The Naval Academy is Grant Foley's first choice of colleges.
His brother has shown him it's a good choice.
Jordan Foley will be a senior on Navy's Collegiate Sprint Football League team next fall and has set three team records during his time with the program.
Grant Foley is a senior at Shady Side Academy — also his brother's alma mater — and plays football, basketball and baseball.
“The Naval Academy has worked out for Jordan and he raves about it,” Grant said. “I haven't done too badly following in his footsteps so far.”
The Foleys live in Meridian. Jordan is a Chinese major and is headed to China Dec. 28 to study abroad for a semester.
Because Sprint football, which has a 172-pound weight limit, doesn't have a spring camp, Foley is free to go.
“I feel like I've been able to do it all there,” he said of the Naval Academy. “I'll come back and play Sprint football for one more year. Hopefully, I'll get into the medical corps. That's my ultimate goal.”
Navy's Sprint team finished 5-2 this season, losing to Army 32-30 in the CSFL title game. Foley led the team in rushing and had 751 all-purpose yards.
He set the program's single-season record with 259 yards in kickoff returns. Foley also owns the program's records for punt-return yardage in a game and a career.
Foley was named All-CSFL at running back this year.“We had won the CSFL my first two years, so losing to Army wasn't a good feeling,” Foley said. “My goal is to get back to that game and win it next year. I don't put much stock in the (statistics) if we don't win.“There is a Hall of Fame for Navy Sprint football. I'd love to wind up in there down the road.”Grant recently won the Athlete Scholarship Award, presented to one player in the Allegheny Conference. He also made all-conference as a guard for Shady Side.“My big sport is baseball,” Grant Foley said. “That's what I'm looking to play in college, either at the Naval Academy or maybe with the Merchant Marines.”Foley hit .320 as the Indians' starting shortstop last spring. He's a team captain and received the team's Most Improved Player award.He's been accepted into The Citadel as well. Regardless of school, Foley plans to major in criminal justice or biology.Like his older brother, the 6-foot-0, 180-pound Grant Foley isn't a huge athlete. Jordan stands only 5-9.“Sports help to keep me focused,” he said. “Jordan and I have always played everything. We just work hard to get the job done.”
