Top three LHS sccholars are all on the football team

LACONIA — The top three academic achievers in the class of 2018 at Laconia High School all play football and are as competitive in the classroom as they are on the football field.

Seniors Ben Beliveau, Drew Muzzey and Thomas Bastis have the highest cumulative grade point averages in their class, a rarity in an era in which girls dominate the top ten student rankings in high schools by a 2-1 margin.

“They're a pretty remarkable group. They're good kids who are well-grounded and really probe and question when they're in the classroom” says LHS football coach Craig Kozens, who said that it's the first time in his 17 years at the school that he's seen three football players at the top of the grade point chart.

“It's like living a dream to see these kids showing the same effort and dedication that they do on the football field in their classes. Their desire to excel is something that makes all the effort that coaches and teachers put in to their jobs worthwhile. They end up inspiring us,” said Kozens.

The trio are extremely hard workers who put maximum effort into their daily two-and-a-half-hour practices, which wrap up with a half hour in the weight room, before going home to tackle their homework.

Bastis, third-ranked, said that none of his siblings are college graduates and he feels that it would be a shame for him to waste the opportunities he senses are in his future by not applying himself in high school.

He's a math and science kind of person who scored 1440 on his SAT tests, nearly acing the math part, and is looking to a future as a computer software engineer.

Bastis is a linebacker for the Sachems, who are 1-1 so far this season after losing a tough opening game 16-7 at Hanover and then roaring to a 49-0 win over Kingswood in their home opener.

They face a crucial test Saturday when they journey to Plymouth to play the defending champion Bobcats, who are 2-0 with wins over Kingswood and Kennett.

He said that practices are actually more work than playing a game and that their grueling nature “makes game day easier.”

Muzzey, who is second ranked in the class, is the lead rushing back and punt and kickoff returner for the Sachems.

He enjoys history and English classes and also enjoys software programming in computer science classes.

His dad, Dustin, is a University of New Hampshire graduate who is facilities manager for Belknap County and that both his father and mother have always encouraged him to study hard so that he could attend college.

He's not sure now whether he'll pursue a career in the computer field or some other interesting and challenging field. But he is determined to succeed.

“I know that when I'm older I'll be able to do something that I love rather than working at a dead-end job with no future,” said Muzzey.

Kozens said that Muzzey is also a skilled lacrosse player who is being looked at by many of the nation's top lacrosse colleges.

Belliveau, top ranked in the class, said that he is looking to “set myself up for the future with as many options as I can.”

He is a linebacker and defensive end for the Sachems and last summer attended the Advanced Studies Program at Saint Paul's School in Concord, where he studied ecology.

Beliveau enjoys math and science and won the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Medal, which is presented to promising secondary school students who have distinguished themselves in mathematics and science.

He sees a future for himself as an environmental engineer and is looking to attend either RPI or Worcester Polytehnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts.

“He's the kind of person who looks at the big picture and looks forward to working on big solutions,” said Kozens.

At the top of their class. Laconia High School seniors Thomas Bastis, Ben Beliveau and Drew Muzzey are the three top-ranked academic achievers at Laconia High School. (Roger Amsden/Laconia Daily Sun)