Junior Emmett Lawton’s love and passion for sports is paying off as he was chosen out of a great number of athletes for the all-state soccer team and The Great Lakes Region Soccer Team. 

Lawton started playing soccer and basketball when he was about 3-4 for a city league in Chicago where he was born. 

He has continued playing ever since and describes sports as his escape. 

“I had a happy childhood and everything, but when I was on the field or court there was nothing in my head but the goal or the net,” said Lawton.

His drive for competition was influenced by his mom who played NCAA Division 1 tennis for Marquette University.

“Emmett is a tremendous athlete not only in terms of ability and athleticism, but he is also a great leader and is very coachable. He has everything that a coach looks for in a player, such as work ethic, leadership, passion and ability,” said Lawton’s soccer coach Michael Prudisch.  

The last all-state player for NDA was Andrew Ribeiro back in 2008 who continued to play collegiately at Creighton. 

Lawton thought he had a good chance at all-state but is still comprehending all-region as it is such a huge honor that he will never forget. 

“It is an incredible honor after months of hard work and dedication to the TSOD program. I could not have won those awards without unselfish teammates who were committed to the same goals as I was all season long. Without every single one of them and the most supportive coaching staff, I wouldn’t have earned any of the awards I was fortunate enough to receive,” said Lawton.

He has been looking at a variety of colleges all over the country, ranging from Northern California to Rhode Island, but is starting to get a feel of the specific scene he wants to be a part of. 

Lawton is currently looking into radiology and pre-med studies but also has found himself interested in law and investment banking.

He would love to play college sports for either basketball or soccer if the right opportunity presented itself but strives to do well academically and better the community with the intention to keep his options open. 

Lawton is an excellent example of a role model because of his charity organization called Soccer-Locker where he helps children who cannot afford the costs that come with sports. 

This amazing organization runs soccer clinics, provides camp scholarships, and organizes equipment drives and was all founded by Lawton himself. 

You can reach the website for Soccer-Locker with this link.

Lawton said,  “Outside of a ‘thank you,’ I would tell everyone who got me to where I am that the most valuable lesson they helped me learn is the value of failure. Sometimes in life you want what you can’t have, and it isn’t always necessarily a bad thing. Appreciate the time you put in and the time you get on the field as it doesn’t last forever. I’ve also learned to never be afraid of being afraid. I am now comfortable handling adversity on and off the playing field/court. Lastly, a program motto that has stuck with me is to ‘Dodge No Smoke.’”