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Pahanish, Rash humble co-recipients of prestigious TJ football honorWhen the players on the Thomas Jefferson football team cast their votes for this year's Breisinger Award winner, they took that duty seriously, like they do every year.
And, like always, they put careful thought and consideration into who among their teammates was most deserving of the award named after a fallen hero and given annually to the senior who “most exemplifies what it means to be Thomas Jefferson football player.”
The big difference this year, however, was that when the votes were counted, two players were tied at the top. In fact, those two players — Garrett Pahanish and Anthony Rash — accounted for more than 90 percent of the total vote.
“These two kids got like 95 percent of the total vote,” Bill Cherpak, Thomas Jefferson's head coach, said. “It's very evident that the kids felt Anthony and Garrett were deserving, which is why we didn't do a tiebreaker or anything. The vote was so overwhelmingly in favor of these two, that it was obvious they both deserved it. It would have been a slight to one to try to do a tiebreaker.”
The Breisinger Award is named after former Pleasant Hills police officer Albert Breisinger, who died in 1979 while attempting to save children from a sinkhole. The award recognizes a player for hard work, community work and academics, not simply football performance.
There is, perhaps, no distinction within the Thomas Jefferson football program more respected than being named the Breisinger Award winner.
“When the kids are picking the winner, you can't hide. The kids know who's working hard,” Cherpak said. “This is not an MVP, this goes to someone who most epitomizes want we want representing the program. The award is not just about football. It goes to a good person, someone who works hard, someone who puts the team first. That's not to say there couldn't have been even more players who also deserved it, but these two stood above the others.”
ANTHONY RASH
The 5-foot-10, 210-pound Rash was never a starter for the Jaguars — playing as a long snapper, a reserve offensive lineman and contributing on special teams — yet he made enough of an impact on his teammates to win the program's most prestigious award.
As Cherpak put it, Rash is the kind of player the Breisinger Award is all about.
“Anthony is just a great kid. He wasn't a starter for us, but he always practiced hard, played hard and did everything you asked,” Cherpak said. “He's a great role model for the younger kids. He makes good decisions, and is someone who is a good representative of the program.”
When reflecting on what it means to win the Breisinger Award, Rash said he is humbled to be selected.
“Your teammates are the guys you play with, you go against them in practice, and are out there together during games,” he said. “Everyone has that respect for one another on our team. It's incredible my teammates thought enough of me to vote for me for this award.
“It really is the most prestigious honor in the program. Everybody really values it a lot, and it means a lot to the players and everyone who came before us. It's not something anyone takes lightly. With how it's viewed, it's really unlike anything else in our program.”
The history behind the award means a lot to Rash, who has a 4.0 GPA and plans to enroll in one of the military service academies after graduation.
“It's very humbling, knowing what the award means,” he said “What Albert Breisinger did that day was unbelievable.”
Like Pahanish, Rash is happy to share the award with a deserving teammate.
“Garrett, absolutely, he's deserving of the award,” Rash said. “He works harder than anybody else I know.
“He would do anything for the team, and I've never seen him give anything less than 100 percent on the field. To split the award with him is an honor.”