'09 SCHOLAR ATHLETE: Cole Pembroke, DV football

Name: Cole Pembroke
GPA: 3.82
Sports: football / baseball
Positions: quarterback, defensive back /
                   third base, first base
College: Dartmouth

What sold you on heading east to Dartmouth for school, and will you be competing athletically?
"I'm going there to play football, to play defense (defensive back). I took my visit up there and the campus and the people and the (football) coaches Ω it's a really good environment. And obviously the academics are amazing. If I go down the right path, I'm going to set myself up for life coming out of there." 

What is the hardest part of balancing school and sports?
"It kind of became a routine for me. You just have it. There were times where school and sports would conflict, you'd be weighed down by a ton of homework." "Definitely. The football team up there, they have a lot of study halls and different study times so the team can study, because it's so much harder for student-athletes up there being an Ivy League school."

At Dartmouth, students are required to spend a semester as an exchange student. Any thoughts on where you might go for your semester away?
"It's called the ‘D Plan.' You study abroad for a semester, and you can go in the country or abroad. I know a lot of the guys choose to go out of the country. I have no idea yet where I'll go. That's something I'll figure out once I get up there and talk to people that have done it already. When I was on my visit I know they said they had like 30-something football players who were over in Spain." 

Describe the one moment as a high school athlete that sticks out more than any other.
"There were a lot of them. Definitely reaching the (football) state championship was one of them. That was the furthest I've ever reached in any sport. The Corona football game this year was awesome. It was on national television. It was a really good game and we ended up winning. This senior football and baseball season as a whole, to be honest, were great. Just getting to play with my friends and knowing this was our last year." 

How about off the field, like in the classroom, or just at school in general. What will you miss the most?
"I can't say I'm going to miss homework because it's going to be five times as hard, but I'm going to miss all the people and all the friends I've made here. I'm definitely going to keep them, but I am going across the country." 

Through your time at Desert Vista, what teacher, coach or teammate was most influential on your success as an athlete, a student, or both?
Coach (Stan) Luketich, the baseball coach, definitely. I've been with him since freshman year. He's one of the best guys I know. He's done so much to help me. He's there for all the players. (Football) Coach (Dan) Hinds, everyone. 

You've been described as the ultimate "anything for the team" player, and one of the most noted moments of your high school career didn't occur on the field. It happened when you went to Coach Hinds and essentially gave up your starting spot at quarterback in the ultimate selfless move. Explain the thought process on that decision, and what it says about you and your character in general, not just an athlete.
"It was a situation where I knew I'd be helping myself out and the team. I knew I'd be able go harder on defense. After that first game, it was just a decision that we'd be better. And it really worked out for the best. It worked out for the team, but it also did for me."

What was the tipping point? Not a lot of high school kids would have the fortitude to go to a coach and tell him to play someone else.
"That night I was just so frustrated. I don't know if I'd been able to play in college if I didn't realize that then. Looking back, it's good that it happened."