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05/14/2020 12:00 AMSage Follo isn’t your typical high school student-athlete. Sage is a senior at Morgan who served as manager for the wrestling team for the past four seasons, and she had just as much of an impact on the Huskies as the people who competed for the squad. She’s also made an impact as a swimmer and a softball player at Morgan.
“I’ve been a manager for the wrestling team since I was a freshman,” says Sage. “My brother Trevor is two years older than me, so I had been watching his matches and learning about wrestling since I was in 7th grade.”
Sage always brought a positive attitude to both matches and practices during her four years with the wrestling team. Above all, Sage enjoyed watching Morgan’s wrestlers get better and rack up the victories on the mat, whether it was on the varsity or JV level.
“While I love the high-intensity matches and watching my friends win, one of my favorite things is getting to see the improvement in the JV wrestlers each and every year,” Sage says. “Some kids come into the first practice a little nervous and timid, but by the end of the season, they are so confident when they step on to the mat and even come out of the season with a few pins under their belt. They come off the mat with a huge smile and a hunger for more wins.”
Senior Night was the highlight of the 2019-’20 campaign for Sage. On Feb. 12, Morgan squared off against New Haven, and all the proceeds from the event went to promoting suicide awareness. The stands were packed with fans, and the intensity of the match made it a special night for Sage and her teammates.
“The whole team, including our coaching staff and other managers, wore purple or teal socks and suicide awareness warmup tees,” says Sage. “My favorite part of the whole night was watching our 132-pound senior captain Josh Fragola’s match. The energy in the gym was intense. It was the third period when the whole crowd started chanting his name, their eyes glued to his every move when he flipped his opponent onto his back. When the ref blew the whistle and hit the mat for the pin, the smile on Josh’s face was priceless.”
Sage took on a variety of responsibilities in her capacity as Morgan’s manager. This included doing things like keeping track of scores to helping Head Coach Darren Hicks with organizational duties.
“Since I had already been with the program for two years before Coach Hicks had scored the head coach position, he allowed me to take charge when necessary, and often looked to me for organizational assistance,” Sage says.
Outside of wrestling, Sage also represented Morgan as a swimmer in her freshman and sophomore years. Sage started swimming competitively with the Valley Shore YMCA Marlins when she was seven years old.
Sage is also a senior captain on the Morgan softball team. She was slated to play third base for the Huskies before the spring season was canceled.
“If I wasn’t in a pool or next to the mat, I was on the softball field. I have played softball for as long as I can remember, having the opportunity to play through middle school, travel ball, and most of high school,” Sage says. “If it wasn’t for the COVID-19 pandemic, I would be playing my final season right now as one of the captains of Morgan softball alongside girls I’ve grown up with. It’s disheartening, to say the least, that I played my last season as a junior and never knew it.”
Even with COVID-19 putting a halt to everything school related, Sage has kept her spirits up. She’s been thinking about what she’d be doing if things suddenly returned back to normal.
“If I wasn’t stuck at home, I’d be at the beach, reading a good Carl Hiaasen book or helping design the Morgan yearbook,” says Sage.
Looking ahead, Sage will be attending Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida later this year. Sage will be looking to do a double major in accounting and finance with a long-term goal of becoming a certified public accountant.
“In October, I had received an acceptance letter to my dream school. I received direct acceptance into the School of Business, Education, and Mathematics at Flagler,” Sage says. “My hope is to eventually become a CPA.”