SACO — Like most high school seniors, 18-year-old D’Andre Morgan is looking forward to graduation and what lies ahead.
This outgoing football star said that he wouldn’t be where he is today without the support of family, friends, teachers and coaches.
Throughout his childhood, Morgan and his mother bounced around from place to place. Morgan was just a year old when his father left, and his mother struggled to maintain a home for them. They lived in many different places in Portland, then moved to his grandparents’ home in South Portland, and when Morgan was in middle school, he and his mother made the decision to move to Saco, because they had heard good things about the school system.
Morgan recalls, after moving to Saco, getting evicted the day after Christmas, because his mother couldn’t afford rent, and the two of them went back to moving again; this time, it was between Saco and his grandparents’ home for the next few years.
He recalls his sophomore year, when his team won their first big state championship. This was his first win as a football player, which was celebrated with local festivities that included a parade.
“After that, things kind of went downhill,” he said. His great-grandfather died and his mother went to a rehabilitation program.
Morgan moved to Gorham to live with his uncle, Scott Hemingway, in his sophomore year, and his uncle later found an apartment in Saco, so they could be closer to Thornton Academy.
His uncle, a former athlete, helped him train for football, advised him about preparing for collegiate sports, and pushed him to go to the gym. Morgan credits his uncle for his success in sports.
Morgan said his uncle also picks him up from athletic practices, attends his football and baseball games, as well as his track meets, and has been his father figure.
“He’s been there every step of the way,” said Morgan. “He wants me to succeed as much as I want to succeed.”
Morgan remains close to his mother and other family members.
“Family is everything to me,” he said.
Despite all the challenges he’s had, Morgan remains level-headed. He will be attending Norwich University in Vermont in the fall, where he will play football.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.
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