Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman/Mat-Su Seahawkers Student-Athlete of the Year: Isaac Smoldon

HOUSTON — The reality of life as a high school graduate has not quite hit Isaac Smoldon completely yet.

“I keep waiting for some sports offseason training to start,” Smoldon said recently.

Smoldon left Houston High as one of the school’s most accomplished student-athletes in its class of 2017. Smoldon, a three-sport athletes and class of 2017 valedictorian, has been named a Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman/Mat-Su Seahawkers Student-Athlete of the Year.

As Smoldon’s new reality continues to set in, he’ll wait for the next chapter in his life. It’s a move Smoldon hopes will lead him right back to his home for the last four years.

Houston High School.

Smoldon will attend UAA and study biological sciences. His goal is to return to Houston High as a teacher.

“That would be the dream. There are no guarantees or anything, but that’s what I’d like to do,” Smoldon said.

Both of his parents are teachers, he said, and Smoldon had a long list of coaches and teachers who influenced and inspired him during his time at Houston High.

Names like Styers, Humphreys, Ruta, Conner and Hall were among the Houston High mentors and educators he praised.

“And plenty of other students and teachers helped me finish high school strong,” Smoldon said.

Smoldon said it’s the people that helped him become the student, athlete and person that he is that inspires him to return to his alma mater one day as a teacher.

“There’s a lot of good people, and I want to help keep that going,” Smoldon said.

Smoldon earned a 4.038 grade point average and was Houston’s class of 2017 valedictorian.

“I always knew when I first started, that’s what I wanted,” Smoldon said. “I wanted to be No. 1 in my class. I set a goal for that and kept at it.”

Smoldon said achieving that goal certainly became more difficult later in his high school career.

“The first couple of years, I didn’t really notice it. The workload wasn’t as hard,” Smoldon said.

But that changed, especially during his senior year while he was enrolled in advanced placement courses, he said.

“It was hard sometimes to able to find time to get my work done,” Smoldon said.

Smoldon balanced the academic workload while competing in three different sports as a senior at Houston High. He started in the fall as a member of the varsity cross-country team, quickly made the move to hockey and capped the year as part of the baseball team.

And of the three, Smoldon certainly has one true love when it comes to sports.

Hockey.

“My baseball coach might not like me saying it, but I definitely considering myself a hockey player first,” Smoldon said.

Smoldon was part of a team that played in the ASAA 3A state title game in each of his four years with the Hawks. Houston was the state runner-up during Smoldon’s freshman, junior and senior season. Smoldon helped the Hawks celebrate a state title as a sophomore.

“I don’t think I fully comprehended what was going on at the time,” Smoldon said of winning a state title as an underclassman.

Smoldon said once he got a chance to really look back at the achievement, he had a better understanding of what it took to accomplish it. As an upperclassman, Smoldon said he tried to do his best as a leader on the team.

“Last year, I really tried to go above and beyond to do the best for my teammates,” Smoldon said.

Smoldon was named first-team All-Greatland Conference as a senior. Smoldon tallied a team-high 23 goals, and posted 19 assists and 41 points as a senior.

Smoldon said hockey will continue to be part of his life. He has been a referee at the youth level for the last five years.

“It’s a good way to give back. You make a little bit of money having fun out there,” Smoldon said. “That’s the dream job right?”

Smoldon said he’d like to coach in the future also. Maybe even at his alma mater. But regardless, the sport will be part of his life.

“Even if I’m not coaching, I’m staying involved.”

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.