In one year of coaching Elias Sanchez on the Fort Stockton boys basketball team, Coach Zechariah Roberson immediately saw Sanchez’s impact as a leader.
His dedication to his studies and his teammates made him stand out as a role model for many young student-athletes at Fort Stockton High School.
“Just because of him being a senior, his presence alone stood out,” Roberson said. “Elias is a really, really hard worker so his impact on just his work ethic alone stood out tremendously.”
Sanchez’s work ethic followed him in basketball, golf and when he was away from the playing surface.
As a two-sport letterman, Sanchez also earned the distinction of being a Texas Scholar and serving on his student council for four years along with various extracurricular activities.
Sanchez was student council president his senior year and also helped coach a fifth- and sixth-grade recreational basketball team with one of his teammates.
He will graduate 10th in the school’s Class of 2022, with the goal of studying pre-pharmacy at Texas Tech.
Through his time in high school, Sanchez always prioritized getting his classwork finished before turning his attention to something else.
When he had after school practices, he tried to do his homework during the school day or he’d finish it immediately when he got back home.
“It felt great,” Sanchez said. “It felt like I’m accomplishing a lot of things and it felt like I’m ready for the next step in my life.”
Growing up, Sanchez always felt inclined toward pursuing a career in the medical field and he believed that becoming a pharmacist would be a good career choice because of his affinity for math.
His plan for college includes returning to Fort Stockton after his freshman year to finish a pharmacy technician class at the city’s Midland College branch to get more experience in the pharmacy industry.
He’ll seek his Bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech then apply to pharmacy school through the state of Texas with the ultimate goal of working as a pharmacist wherever he is needed.
“I want to try and stay with Tech because they have a pharmacy school in Amarillo that’s a really good program that I’ve looked into,” Sanchez said. “I really want to get into that program.”
After seeing Sanchez’s hard work and dedication through athletics, Roberson believes the student-athlete can excel in his preferred career choice.
Roberson described Sanchez as someone who will make sure he succeeds 110% at whatever he sets his mind to.
The basketball coach said he has always made academics a high priority for his teams and having Sanchez to help him with his message made things easier within the program.
“He’s going to be hard to replace, he’s one of those team players that he brings a ton of energy,” Roberson said. “Having him leave our program because he’s a senior, it’s going to be really hard to replace him.
“But we’ve got some guys that are coming in behind him that took all of his energy and made sure that they brought the same intensity he did.”
Sanchez played a large role in setting the younger core of Panthers up to maintain a strong culture.
When he starts his first college semester, Sanchez doesn’t plan on continuing his athletic career aside from trying out for recreational sports.
He wants to continue showing his love for athletics by taking in the atmosphere as a spectator.
Sanchez said he grew up playing basketball and golf, so it will be difficult to leave the sports behind but they taught him valuable lessons that will carry through his life.
“Being a leader, you have to provide support for everyone,” Sanchez said. “You have to make sure you’re doing your job so everybody else can cooperate and function properly.”
>> Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
ELIAS SANCHEZ
FORT STOCKTON
>> Academic Rank: No. 10 of 150
>> Sports: Basketball; Golf
>> Academic bio: Texas Scholar; Honor Banquet Attendee (4 years); Honor Graduate (GPA of 4.5+); Top 10 percent of class
>> Athletic bio: Basketball (2-year letterman); Golf (4-year letterman)
>> Activities: Student Council (4 years, 2022 President); National Honor Society; Youth Leadership; Fellowship of Christian Athletes
>> College and major: Texas Tech University (Pre-Pharmacy)
>> Goals for the future: Become a pharmacist wherever I am am needed
>> Favorite subject: Math
>> Favorite book: Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
>> Favorite musician: Billy Currington
>> Role model: Enissa Sanchez (sister)
