WELLS, Maine — In a small town like Wells, most high school students know the names of all their classmates.
After last fall's football season, almost everyone in the community knows who Brooks Fox is.
The quarterback led the Warriors to a dramatic comeback win in the Class D State Championship which included a fourth down touchdown pass with 19 seconds left in the game and a gutsy two-point conversation for a 22-21 win over Foxcroft Academy.
"We didn’t come to lose, we didn’t come to tie, we [wanted] to win," Fox said. "To go out on top, it was definitely a surreal feeling, especially the way we did it."
Head football coach Tim Roche said he trusted his quarterback and other players to make that winning play.
"He was going to do it somehow with his arm or his brain," Roche said.
As Fox reflected back on that moment that every young athlete dreams of, he quickly pivoted and spoke about how it could influence the next generation of athletes from Wells who watched the game.
“It makes me feel good that we left a mark, we left a memory for these kids to have and carry with them so when they get older, they [can work] to feel that feeling," he added.
It was easy to tell that Fox cares about other students in his community.
Besides serving on the student council, he volunteers to help younger kids in specialized education programs make connections and participate in fun learning activities. He also joined Wells' unified basketball team which he said was "one of the best decisions" he ever made.
"This community has done so much for me, I owe it to them," Fox said. "So why not do everything I can to give back to the people that give to me."
You know you're doing something right in your school community when the principal jumps at the opportunity to highlight the mark you've left after four years.
"His record in athletics and academics kind of speak for themselves," Wells High School Principal Eileen Sheehy said. "I'm proud and grateful at the same time for the work that Brooks has done through service and leadership."
Coach Roche said Fox "stands out" amongst the rest of the other great kids at school and he never hesitated to help out whenever he could.
“And this is a kid that’s going to do great things," Roche added.
A self-proclaimed "problem solver," Fox will study engineering at Northeastern University in the fall.
As his senior year winds down with prom and graduation, Fox said he hopes he was a positive influence on everyone in his community and treated everyone with respect.
He said his strong work ethic helped foster his success on the football field, in the classroom, and in the community. Fox hopes younger students realize that they can be anyone they want to be as long as they work for it.
However, there is one thing people in Wells may not know about the star quarterback: he's not that fast. So, it makes sense he's a thrower on the high school's track and field team this spring.
NEWS CENTER Maine will be highlighting one student-athlete each month for the rest of the school year. To nominate your favorite student-athlete for Varsity Club, please click here.