Happy senior Hannah Drake named GOAT Scholar Athlete of the Week

HAPPY, Texas (KFDA) - This week’s FirstBank Southwest GOAT Scholar Athlete of the Week has not let injuries keep her from bouncing back. Meet Happy four-year varsity post and guard Hannah Drake.

Happy four-year varsity post and guard Hannah Drake adds speed, size and leadership to the Cowgirls roster.

“I love defense,” said Drake. “Defense is my favorite part of the game, so I just like the intensity of it and trying to steal the ball when you can.”

“She’s a pretty good defensive player,” said Charles Byrd, Happy girls basketball head coach. “Help defense is really well because those long arms help her out.”

Drake has also led the floor in shooting a few times this season despite the lack of reps. Her freshman year she tore her right knee ACL, and then she re-tore her meniscus her sophomore and junior season.

“Same thing this year. She started out really well and her knee started bothering her so she had a procedure done and it took her out again another four weeks,” said Byrd. “She’s back at it now, but we’re definitely a much better team when Hannah is in the lineup.”

“It was just one of those things that teaches you to really push through even when you think ‘I don’t know why I keep playing if I keep re-tearing my meniscus’,” said Drake. “All the things, but you really do just learn to push through and sometimes it’s going to hurt but you’ll get over it and just keep going.”

Drake also runs track and participates in Student Council, National Honor Society and FCA while maintaining a 3.85 GPA.

Happy’s academic program helped Drake find her true calling to become a third and fourth grade math teacher.

“The little kids will always be like oh you play basketball or you run track, so it just helps me realize people are watching even when you don’t think it,” said Drake. “So you always have to make sure to be that role model that you need to be.”

Congratulations to Hannah Drake on being nominated as a FirstBank Southwest NewsChannel10 GOAT Scholar Athlete of the Week. To nominate a senior, go to https://www.newschannel10.com/sports/goat/.

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