Joplin football player Aidan Sampson recently gave an interview with Prep Sports.

PREP SPORTS: What are your personal goals for the year?

My personal goals for the year was to put my name out there so that years on from now my high school will still talk about me, even the city and the fans of our football team remember me. I worked hard all summer to ball out all season and when season came I made some important plays to help out team succeed. 

PREP SPORTS: What is your favorite athletic memory?

My favorite athletic memory is getting my first varsity start mid way through the season as a sophomore when one of our starting wide receivers transferred. That moment will always stand out to me because there were seniors and juniors I was starting over that were all pretty good. And from that moment on I knew I had to lock in and dominate.

PREP SPORTS: What teammate has left the biggest impression on you and why?

A teammate that has left a big impression on me would definitely be Quin Renfro. He made me want to play better because that was his whole attitude, he was always dominating so that gave me that thought that I need to be on the same level as him. Quin being a D1 athlete just gave me more motivation to get better on that football field.

PREP SPORTS: What is your favorite part of being on this team?

My favorite part of being on part of the Joplin High School football team is the family that you build there so fast. The coaches really do care about you and your career, they basically become your best friends. Having that connection makes being part of a team like that 100x easier because you got your school friends plus your coaches that help you become a better person and a better player.

PREP SPORTS: What has your sport taught you that you use in your daily life?

Football has taught me to use respect. Having respect for others shows that you are reliable and useful because you don’t try and make things difficult. Even a simple yessir, yes ma’am when talking shows your respect from the start. It has also taught me that, instead of giving up find the mentality that makes you find a way around the situation you are stuck in, and that has helped me  tremendously throughout my life with school and work.

PREP SPORTS: What is the best advice that anyone has given you?

The best advice I have received was from my position coach, Coach Howard, he told me “the sun will still rise tomorrow” meaning that a mistake you make will not make a difference on yourself in the future. Mistakes always happen we’re human, but it can only be fixed if you decide to fix it or if you dwell on the past you’ll go nowhere.

PREP SPORTS: Who inspires you and why?

I have always been inspired by Calvin Johnson. I grew up watching him and that is what made me want to be a wide receiver. His talent on the field always awed me and his dedication to the game made it so much more important to me and his dedication gave me dedication. 

PREP SPORTS: Here is your chance to give a shoutout or say thank you to anyone you wish.

I want to thank Coach Howard for the past couple years, he was always there for me and always believed in me. My mom for being my biggest supporter and the rest of my family.