By Rick Pedone

Sports Editor

Jared Beekman was an impressive, multi-sport athlete at Harmony High for four years, but it was his academic excellence that earned him a scholarship to play football at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

“I want to study chemical engineering,” Beekman, 18, said last week before signing a grant-in-aid to the university, home to a world-renowned medical school.

Beekman helped himself by earning a spot on the Florida High School Athletic Association’s Academic All-State Team.

Beekman, a candidate to be the class valedictorian, cards a 4.0 GPA and earned letters in football, track, weightlifting and soccer.

The FHSAA awarded Beekman a $1,000 scholarship. If he is named the Male Scholar Athlete of the Year in June, he will receive an additional $3,000. Twelve males and 12 females earned FHSAA Academic All-State recognition by maintaining at least a 3.5 GPA while participating in at least two varsity sports as a junior and senior.

Beekman said he was immediately sold on Johns Hopkins after visiting with the coaching staff and players.

“The offensive coordinator (Dan Swanstrom) came to the house and talked to me, and when I went to the campus I fell in love with the place,” Beekman said. “It’s like a family atmosphere there, and that’s what I love about it. Everyone gets along great.”

As a NCAA Division III program, Johns Hopkins doesn’t provide athletic scholarships, but it offered Beekman enough of an incentive to make the $56,000 annual bill, which includes the room, meals and books, tolerable.

“My parents (Jim and Ann Beekman) said that if I got an opportunity to go to a school like this, they would find a way to make it happen,” he said.

Fortunately, Beekman’s older brothers, former St. Cloud High athletes Josh and Jake Beekman, have completed college. Both will be local law enforcement officers.

Harmony Athletic Director Chuck Hitt said Beekman has set high standards for future Harmony student-athletes.

“It’s really incredible what he’s accomplished,” Hitt said. “To be named Academic All-State, and earn a scholarship to a university like Johns Hopkins is rare. He deserves it. He’s a great kid from a great family.”

Beekman played quarterback and defensive back for Harmony. Last season he was the team’s leading rusher (809 yards) and passer (62-of-101, 640 yards; 8 TDs). He stepped in as a sophomore and led the Longhorns to the regional football finals in 2007.

His speed was on display last week at the district track meet at Celebration when he qualified at 800 meters for the 3A Region 2 meet today, and he helped the 4 x 800 relay qualify as well.

“I may run track at Johns Hopkins. They have an indoor and an outdoor season,” he said.

Track teammate Shawn Buxton plans to sign a grant today to the school, Beekman said.

“Yeah, I’d like to run track with Shawn again,” he said.

Johns Hopkins runs a spread offense, similar to the one that Beekman led at Harmony.

“They had a back than rushed for 2,000 yards last season, so they ran a lot of I (formation), but they run the spread most of the time,” he said.

Beekman said he considered several other offers, but, “Johns Hopkins was in my top five from the beginning,” he said.

The Blue Jays were 10-3 and won the Centennial Conference championship for the fifth time under Coach Jim Margraff. The team finished eighth in the Division III national poll.