This week's scholar athlete is proof that through hard work and dedication, you can overcome most obstacles. NY1's Anthony Pascale filed the following report.

 

Regardless of what's been thrown his way, Maliek Kelly has always stayed on the right path.

 

When he was in sixth grade, his father was murdered. And at the beginning of this season, his teammate, Miles Kirkland collapsed and died on the field.

 

"A quote I always live by is, 'adapt and deliver,'" Kelly says. "You have to adapt to any situation you're put in, even if it's that tragic. You have to move on with the baggage and keep moving forward. And deliver means to me, you're always give your all."

 

Kelly is the captain and starting quarterback for the Curtis High School football team. He also runs on the indoor and outdoor track teams.

 

Coaches say his teammates always turn to him for guidance, and they did especially after Kirkland's death.

 

"A tragedy like that can either break everything apart, or, as it did with us, it brought us together," says assistant football coach Patrick Pizzarelli. "And he was in the center of it, bringing everyone together, and getting everyone, being like 'Let's go, let's do this for this for Miles, let's play for Miles.'"

 

"He was not only my teammate, he was like a brother to all of us," Kelly says. "He just made us want to work hard because we know how hard he worked on and off the field."

 

Despite these obstacles, Kelly has built quite the resume. He's taken five advanced placement courses, volunteers as a tutor, and is on track to graduate near the top of his class.

 

Teachers say Kelly is always striving for better.

 

"Over four years here he's accumulated over a 96 GPA," says Joseph Barrata, Kelly's math teacher. "So that's not done by accident. He's had that kind of drive since the first day he came in.

 

"Him handling his part in the classroom has set him up nicely for colleges that all want him," says football coach Pete Gambaradella.

 

Kelly is being recruited and hopes to stick with football in college. He also wants to study economics or electrical engineering. Though he knows it won't be easy, he says he's ready.

 

"If you're willing to put in that effort on the field, you should be willing to put in that effort in anything you do," he says.

 

So, for tackling adversity, Maliek Kelly is our Ford Lincoln of Queens/NY1 Scholar Athlete of the Week.