Unionville High School graduate Elan Nash received his inspiration to join the Navy football team from his father, who served in the Navy for four years, writes Joe Juliano for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The time his father spent aboard the USS Forrestal shaped him with principles that he ultimately passed down to his son.

“A lot of the things he started instilling in me from a young age were values he learned in the military,” said Nash.

Navy became Nash’s favorite college football team, and when he was offered an opportunity to play football there, he didn’t think twice about it.

Nash, who played cornerback and wide receiver at Unionville, was a second-team All-State selection as a senior. After joining the Midshipmen, he became a cornerback on the scout team, then an outside linebacker for the varsity.

This season, as a junior, he has started all 12 games, and is now getting ready for Saturday’s rivalry game with Army at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

“Everything will feel a lot better if we can get this one,” said Nash.

Read more about Elan Nash in the Philadelphia Inquirer here.