Moorestown senior Joshua Leath (center), with his parents, Kamili and Jonathan, at the Dr. Warren J. McClain Touchdown Club of Southern New Jersey’s awards banquet last month.
For Moorestown High School (MHS) senior Joshua Leath, hard work and determination are important to achieving success at a young age.
“There’s always going to be distractions, but always just stay focused,” Leath said. “You can go hang out (with your friends) or you can get your work done so you can hang out later. Just know to stay focused.”
Leath is on both the high-school’s football (outside linebacker/defensive end) and wrestling teams. He loves the competitiveness that comes with playing sports and being on a team, but he also acknowledged the difference between playing on the field versus competing one on one.
“For football, just as a team sport, there’s a lot of people on the field, so if one person doesn’t do their job, then it can affect the whole team, but also when you win the game you know you did it with the people beside you, your whole team,” Leath observed.
“It’s kind of like the opposite for wrestling sometimes,” he added, “because points can add up for your team. But it’s going in there and just doing your best in a one-on-one situation, just knowing that you have to beat the guy in front of you, to give your team the best opportunity.”
Last month, the Dr. Warren J. McClain Touchdown Club of Southern New Jersey held its annual all-South Jersey banquet, an event that honored its 2024 All-South Jersey teams. Leath was among several all-South Jersey athletes recognized with a prestigious award. The Touchdown Club was founded in 1967 to promote and encourage inter-scholastic football among high schools in Gloucester and Salem counties.
Following COVID, the organization expanded McClain’s dream and became a true South Jersey football club. That vision included each of the seven South Jersey counties, adding Burlington, Cumberland, Cape May and Atlantic to the membership, and giving those schools the opportunity to not only highlight their players, but their programs. For more information, visit www.touchdownclubofsj.com.
“Just being able to see the hard work I’ve put in come back and be able to receive that award, is very special,” Leath said.
Leath also got a full scholarship to play Division I football at Stony Brook University in Long Island. He’s looking forward to the new environment and the community.
“Just knowing that I can stay the same person that I am, and just knowing it’s going to be a different atmosphere – yes – but to be able to know how to adapt and just really embrace being a student athlete and just knowing that I have to get my stuff done off the field so I can perform on the field.”
Leath is also a teacher’s aide for the children’s church at Converge Church in Moorestown, a co-leader for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes – Moorestown Chapter and a leader with Young Life in Moorestown. His advice for younger students? Time management and simply knowing who you are.
“You have to study, you have to manage your time, and you have to get your tasks done,” he explained. “The biggest trait is just determination and just knowing who you are. And just knowing that you can push yourself harder and whatever you put your mind to, you can really do.”
