72 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com in high school too, though he ultimately prioritized football. Lawson, who received several D-I lacrosse offers but also chose football, is 6-foot3, 225 pounds. So, you may be wondering: What were those grocery bills like in high school? “It was actually really crazy,” Megan recounted. “I was always trying to keep enough food on hand that was high in calories.” Mix in a hectic travel schedule filled with games and tournaments and you begin to grasp the parental dedication involved. Somehow Megan managed it all as a single mother while balancing a full-time job as the owner of Cannon Street Apothecary, a wellness products business. She recalled countless occasions when they would drive up to Charlotte or Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for one day. “It was really challenging. But those are our fondest memories.” All her sons initially attended Porter-Gaud, but Lawson and Marshall finished high school at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School in Rabun Gap, Georgia, where they won a football state championship. The family credits Rabun Gap coach Derek White with helping them get where they are today. “He said, ‘I will build it if you come,’” recollected Megan. “They went. That was it. So, I did my part. But he took over. Just very grateful to him.” Kane, the ‘smallest’ of the brothers at 6-foot-2, 170 pounds, started at Porter-Gaud, then spent time at Lucy Beckham before committing to Salisbury School. Megan expressed tremendous respect for her parental peers with children in college athletics. “I look around and see they sacrificed – the collective sacrifice. It’s not just about the players.” However, she emphasized that the life of a studentathlete isn’t for the faint of heart. You attend school all day, travel to a game, play a game, then sometimes get home around 1 a.m. “That shows the work ethic,” she stated. Despite his athletic commitments, Lawson made the academic honor roll at Georgia Tech. “That makes me very proud as a parent,” beamed Megan. When their respective coaches ask their teams, ‘Why do you do this,’ Lawson and Marshall always say it’s because of their mom. “I love that,” gushed Megan. MOTHER & SON HOOP DREAMS Speaking of athleticism running in the genes, ESPN college basketball announcer and former North Carolina State basketball standout Debbie Antonelli’s son Patrick is a college basketball point guard who played for his dream school Louisville during the 202425 season. He previously spent four seasons at Emory & Henry University and now plays for Division II Francis Marion University. Both Debbie and her husband Frank played Division I athletics. “We never pressured Patrick into anything. He had to organically love the game on his own,” she recounted. “And thankfully he did.” Growing up, Patrick participated in numerous basketball clinics and camps that Debbie conducted, including her Mount Pleasant Basketball Academy, and was always spending time in the gym with her. When Patrick entered eighth grade at Cario Middle School, the athletic director asked Debbie to coach their basketball team. She turned down the offer twice, our sports Megan Lawson with her son Marshall Pritchett, a true freshman tight end at Alabama. Megan Lawson with her son Kane Pritchett, who currently attends Salisbury School in Connecticut, where he plays lacrosse and football. Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame player Debbie Antonelli points to the No. 12 on her son Patrick’s Louisville jersey, the same number she wore at North Carolina State.
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