Introducing our WXXV Student Athlete of the Week, Gautier’s Fredrick Nicholson!

Big time players make big time plays, and this student athlete makes a huge impact both on the gridiron and the baseball diamond for the boys of the swamp. He’s a quarterback and pitcher’s worst nightmare, and he’s our WXXV Student Athlete of the Week. Get to know Gautier’s very own Fredrick Nicholson!
With a six game winning streak and a district record of 2 and oh, it’s no secret that Gautier is one of the hottest programs on the coast right now. The gators think they have what it takes to hoist the gold ball, but they know they have to take it one week at a time.
“It’s awesome! Just seeing everyone succeed is a lovely thing. Seeing everyone succeed just brings joy to my heart actually and seeing us go to this next level, I love it,” said senior Fredrick Nicholson. “We’re taking it one game at a time. I know we have the ability to go to state, but we have to look at the week ahead and really be able to take it one week at a time. That’s how we’re going to get there.”
The air raid offense is red hot entering week nine scoring over 30 points the past five games, but the unsung heroes are the Gator defense.
“We do the dirty work. We call it the dirty work, so we know we’ve got to do all our things right,” Nicholson said. “They notice when the offense is doing good and they notice when the defense is doing bad, so we’ve got to just keep doing our thing.”
One member definitely doing his thing is the guy we’ve been talking to, senior linebacker Fredrick Nicholson. Not only did the gator defense hold their most recent opponent to 8 points, but Nicholson himself had 14 tackles. Leading the defense in assisted tackles, total tackles, and blocked field goals, Nicholson is getting recognized his senior year with different offers and being named a Bernard Blackwell all-star.
“I mean it’s just amazing,” said Nicholson. “If you saw me freshman year, no one would have thought about this. I’ve been putting the work in and I’m glad it’s finally beginning to show.”

The glow up doesn’t just happen overnight, and you don’t randomly just hit bombs like this without working overtime. Nicholson attributes his strength and power to his time spent in the Gator weight room.
“Right there behind us, the weight room. I’m staying in there every night and everyday and I have a trainer that I go to, so it’s really just the weight room. I love the weight room,” Nicholson said.
He’s not just a strong asset to Gator athletics, but a tremendous student in the classroom. Along with being a part of both the Gautier football and baseball team, he’s also in the process of attaining his associate degree from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and has over 50 hours of community service. He says keeping his future in mind is what helps him balance it all.
“It’s a lot actually. Late nights and all that with going to school, practicing right after. It’s a lot but truly I think it’s all going to work out in the long run which is what I think about,” Nicholson said. “I think about my future and that it’s truly all going to pay off for me in the long run.”
He says it also wouldn’t happen without the motivation of his biggest supporters, his family.
“My family. My family is everything to me actually. My mom, pops and all of them. I really do it for them. They do the work for me, and I’ve got to give them the work back.”
Nicholson and the Gators will keep going to work this 2024 season, and their next business trip is this Friday at East Central at 7pm.