For Sobrato’s Gabrielle Smith and Isaiah Hardy, actions speak louder than words.
The duo proved that with their quiet leadership on the field, court and water where they led their teammates with their examples rather than their words.
Smith and Hardy’s leadership as well as performances in their sports, led to them being named Sobrato’s Female and Male Athlete of the Year respectively.
“We had other really good seniors on our team,” the senior wide receiver said. “(Players like) Michael (Bocksnick), Drew (Glines), Blake (Porzio), my brother (Nick Hardy), Miguel (Redmond) — we had a lot of vocal leaders. But I thought I led more by example.”
The same held true for Smith, who described herself as being on the shy side. But her leadership was recognized by being named the co-captain of the girls water polo team in her senior year.
“We just tried to help out all the new girls because this year was the first year we had a JV team,” Smith said. “We got such a good turn out so we just tried to help out all the new girls and keep everything positive. It made it really fun this year.”
Smith’s high school career has revolved around sports. She was a member of the Bulldog’s swim team for all four years while also playing water polo for three years and basketball for two.
Out of all the memories she has made both in the water and on the court, she said that the moment that stands out to her the most came in her junior year.
“For me, the highlight was making CCS (Central Coast Section) for water polo junior year,” she said. “It was the first time any water polo team — girls or boys — made CCS. The boys also made it to CCS that same year. That was awesome and I am so proud of us.”
Making it to the CCS playoffs wasn’t an experience solely held by Smith however. Hardy — a three year football and two year basketball player — was able to experience his own postseason action with the Bulldogs football team. Sobrato beat Archbishop Riordan in the first round before losing to Valley Christian.
Hardy had a big part in getting his team there, racking up 42 receptions for 1041 yards this season and scoring nine touchdowns for the Bulldogs.
“Our goal was to get out of the first round and we did,” Hardy said. “We played Valley Christian and that game went really well but we just fell short a little bit. That was a really big statement for Sobrato football right there.”
Both Smith and Hardy look to continue their athletic careers in college. Hardy will attend De Anza College where he has already secured his spot on their football team.
The future is a little less certain for Smith, who be attending the University of California – Santa Cruz. Currently, they do not have a water polo team but she said still thinks she’ll find herself in the water on their swim team.
For these two Bulldogs, sports has been an important part of their lives during their time at Sobrato. They both agreed that they hope to be remembered in their respective programs for their leadership and dedication to their sports.
“I just want people to remember me as a positive influence on my team,” Smith said. “ I want to be remembered as someone who helped her team out. A good team player, too.”
