Welch High School senior Thomas Ashworth has built his football career in the trenches, where the work is often overlooked but always essential. As a center and nose tackle for the Welch varsity squad, Ashworth has come to embrace the responsibility that comes with setting the tone on both sides of the ball, while also growing into a leader for his teammates.
Ashworth credits head coach Ryan Gleaves with helping shape that growth as both a player and a person. “Ryan Gleaves, my head football coach, because he’s helped my become the man I have become today,” Ashworth said, reflecting on the impact Gleaves has had as he prepares for his senior season. That influence shows up in the way Ashworth approaches each practice and game, focused on doing the little things right at the line of scrimmage.
He said his favorite part of being on the Welch football team is the connection he shares with the rest of the roster. “I probably enjoy the brotherhood and the bonds that are made,” Ashworth said. Those bonds have been built through long practices, big wins and even difficult moments, including a game his sophomore year he still remembers clearly. “When the refs made a horrible call my sophomore season,” Ashworth said of a moment of adversity the team had to overcome together.
On the field, Ashworth takes pride in refining the technical details that define his positions. “I play center and nose tackle but just being quick off the line, good hand placement and good foot work,” he said. Last season, a favorite memory came when he was rewarded with a chance to do something different. “It would have been last year when my coach let me run the ball,” Ashworth said.
Ashworth said the energy of Friday nights is what makes the sport special. “The adrenaline you get and you and the boys are all hyped up,” he said. To channel that excitement the right way, he follows a calm, focused pregame routine. “Try and sit back in the locker and control my breathing and heart rate and listen to some music,” Ashworth said.
Away from football, Ashworth enjoys time with friends and has a strong interest in math. “Hanging out with my buddies,” he said of what he does off the field. “My favorite subject is math. My favorite teacher was my second grade teacher Mrs. Thompson.” Guided by simple but powerful advice — “To never give up” — Ashworth enters his senior year ready to anchor the Welch line and continue setting an example for the teammates who share that brotherhood with him.
