Rafe Montgomery’s senior year of high school has been everything he has asked for and more.
This past fall, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Montgomery made plays as an all-region linebacker for Chattanooga Christian School’s football team, including four sacks and three interceptions in 10 games.
Making it through the season healthy was an accomplishment, too, after Montgomery tore his ACL the previous two seasons, doing so during the opener as a sophomore and in the playoffs as a junior. Now, for the first time, he has been able to enjoy the spring as a varsity baseball player for the Chargers.
“Being out on the baseball diamond with my teammates has been awesome,” Montgomery said. “Baseball was my favorite sport growing up in Atlanta as I went to a lot of Braves games and played travel ball every summer. I kind of forgot what I loved about the game after not being able to play the last two seasons. To get back out there with my team and just have fun has meant everything to me.”
CCS baseball coach Ben Wharton sat in the stands during football games this school year hoping and praying Montgomery would not get hurt. When Montgomery was a freshman, his coach noticed his competitive desire as he pushed teammates despite his age and always hustled even while playing exclusively on junior varsity.