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Garrison Edwards gets it done on the field and in the classroom at Troup High. The sophomore is a humble young man but is a hard worker whether he’s behind closed doors or under the biggest of spotlights.

A two-sport athlete, Edwards is a rising star on the diamond and the gridiron for the Tigers. This spring he has elevated his game on the baseball field to new heights and is now an every-game starter for Troup after an up-and-down first season.

“I started in the first half of the season, but the game was coming at me too fast, so they pulled me, and I understand why because I would be hot and go cold,” Edwards said looking back on his first season with Troup. “This past summer I went to work with my travel ball team and saw better pitching, so I took that experience over here.”

Edwards made a big leap from his freshman year to where he is now. He worked to find consistency, which led to a streak of real confidence.

His freshman season proved to be a bit difficult of a transition. Edwards did not just make the leap from middle to high school, he changed school districts as he transferred in from Harris County.

“I really felt like the new kid at first because I didn’t know anybody here,” Edwards said. “Now, I’m proud to be a Troup Tiger. I’m very happy I made this decision because it has benefited my life so much.”

This transition helped Edwards adjust to facing adversity. This would be a huge learning experience he could apply on the football field in the fall of 2023.

With starting quarterback Taeo Todd out for the season and backup Logan Sinkfield suffering an injury in the team’s opening-round playoff game against Cairo, Edwards had to step in and finish the game to secure the victory. The very next week Edwards was thrown to the wolves and got his first career start at quarterback for the varsity team on the road at Spalding in the second round of the state playoffs.

“In a playoff game, we were so deep into the game, it was literally like the last two minutes. And I had to go into the game,” Edwards said. “I just cleared my head and went out there.

“I was pretty nervous in my first practice leading up to the (Spalding) game, but after getting hit a few times, I was locked in.”

That was his first taste of playoff action in any sport as the baseball team missed the postseason last year. This has led to the team coming back hungry for success.

“Last year, we felt like we should have made the playoffs, so this year we are playing with a chip on our shoulder, and it is really driving us,” Edwards said. 

Balancing two sports is difficult, but balancing two sports while maintaining a high level of academic pursuits is not for the weak.

Edwards is the true definition of a student-athlete. He takes his academia very seriously and takes AP classes and honor classes while carrying a 4.14 GPA.

“For me, school comes first,” Edwards said. “I study for two hours every day and keep that consistent for me.”

Edwards is just getting started with room to grow. His role on the baseball team continues to expand as he begins to transition into one of the more experienced players on a youthful squad. His future on the football field might be equally as bright as he could be in line to take over as the team’s starting quarterback this fall.

“Now, football has to become more of a priority for me because I will be stepping into a bigger role next year,” Edwards said.