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Unyielding Drive Powers Ethan Carter’s Success on the Field
Hudsonville High School’s Ethan Carter has carved a unique path through West Michigan football, emerging as one of the area’s most promising senior linebackers. His story is one of relentless pursuit, deep motivation, and constant transformation, especially since he joined PowerStrength Training Systems in the spring of his freshman year. Since then, Ethan’s journey has exemplified what sheer dedication and the right environment can accomplish.
“I was training at a different local facility before,” Ethan explained. “I saw everyone over at PowerStrength—Kade Kostus (Rockford, CMU), for example—and the improvements they were making. I talked with him, saw the transformations with guys like Kyle Kloska (West Catholic, Army). I knew I had to get started at PowerStrength.”
THE RIGHT CHOICE
From the start, Ethan was drawn to PowerStrength’s sports-specific approach, which differed drastically from his previous training.
“It’s more sports-specific here—more power, speed, everything combined,” he says. “The results here have been crazy. In the first six months, I dropped 0.3 seconds off my 40 and added a ton to my broad jump. I came in… barely able to bench 225 pounds for one rep. Within two months, I was doing a lot more, and by winter, I could do 10 reps at 225.”
GAME-CHANGER
PowerStrength’s Premier Advanced Training program has been paramount to Ethan’s success, pushing him to train at the highest level. He has participated in the Premier group three times (2 winter, 1 spring) over the last two years. Each session has brought him closer to his goals. Ethan has trained nearly five days a week with both small group and private personal training sessions.
“My goal has always been to play high-level college football,” Ethan said. “I knew what I had to do, and I knew coming to PowerStrength would give me the best opportunity for that.”
This work ethic has paid off dramatically on the field. Ethan played on the freshman team his first year in high school, but set a goal to play varsity as a 10th grader. With 6 months of training at PowerStrength, he rose through the ranks and started on the varsity team his sophomore season.
The gains he made—becoming faster while dropping body fat and adding lean muscle mass—enabled him to take on bigger challenges each season.
“I got pulled up sophomore year, had a few sacks, had some good plays, great improvement from freshman year, but still not where I wanted to be,” Ethan recalled. “I came in and got after it going into junior year, I worked really hard, lost a ton of fat, toned down, just got my diet under control. I dropped my 40-yard dash time, It was 5.04 in the winter, I dropped it to a 4.71. I lost 15 or 20 pounds of fat. I went into that summer, just doing a ton of camps and felt myself moving a lot better. Junior season ended up having good results, then came back here, this off-season, and felt way faster, way stronger.”
Ethan’s father, Brian Carter, has witnessed the profound impact PowerStrength has had on his son, especially the physical and mental fortitude it instills.
“When Ethan did the Premier combine, he hit 19 reps on the 225-pound bench press, that’s that’s college level or even NFL level things that he’s achieving, and that’s because of the way they pushed him here to do that.” Brian said. “The strength gains, speed, and explosiveness have been incredible. The confidence is there. It’s helped him out in life, that’s the biggest thing. In life, you’re more confident – you’re going to be more successful, but it translates on the football field as well. So he’s super confident there.”
“That improvement really has helped me on the field,” Ethan added. “In the 40 yard dash, especially the ten yard split, being able to get off the ball really quickly, get downhill and get to where I’m going to be.”
TEAM SUCCESS
In 2024, Hudsonville won its first outright OK Red Conference title since 2004, and the Eagles made it all the way to the Ford Field and the Division 1 state championship game.
“It was super exciting,” he said, crediting the dedication of his senior teammates. “We have a really good senior class, and our team bought into the coaching. We leveled up every week.”
LEANING ON MENTAL TOUGHNESS
The journey has been anything but easy for Ethan. His move to Alabama during the spring only to return to Michigan for his senior season was a challenge, both physically and mentally. Adapting to a new environment and then readjusting upon his return, he’s used the resilience he developed at PowerStrength to stay focused.
“All the mental stuff we have to go through, especially in Premier, all the hard sets and finishers that really helps,” he said. “If you have a hard time in a set you have to be mentally strong. You have to keep going, you can’t quit.”
LEADING FROM THE FRONT
Brian Paulsen, PowerStrength Plainfield’s General Manager, praises Ethan’s commitment and determination, highlighting his role as a leader among his peers.
“He’s just a guy that’s constantly looking to improve, he’s never satisfied,” Paulsen said. “Our big thing at PowerStrength is ‘Complacency Kills,’ and he is the kid who owns that saying. He’s very dialed in, he has shown it for years, and never takes breaks, he is relentless on the work ethic side which is probably one of the coolest things I can say about somebody.”
During the season, Ethan made time to train at PowerStrength 2 nights a week while balancing school, football practices, games, film sessions, and team workouts.
“I train so hard in the off-season, it does no good to just quit all of a sudden in-season,” he explained. “I have to keep doing what I’ve been doing, maintain, that’s why I still come in two days a week, just to stay as good as I was in the off-season.”
NUTRITION UPGRADE
Ethan’s success story is also a testament to the crucial role nutrition has played in his transformation. After a pivotal sit-down with PowerStrength trainers, he overhauled his diet, ditching the sugar, and focusing on high-quality protein, vegetables, and other whole foods.
“Switching to a strict diet with no processed foods sped up my gains,” he explained.
BRIGHT FUTURE
With an offer from West Georgia University and ongoing discussions with several Division I and II programs, Ethan’s future is bright. Whatever comes next, Brian Carter believes his son is more than prepared.
“PowerStrength has instilled discipline in him that I know he’ll carry through college,” Brian said. “When coaches push him to work harder, Ethan won’t waver because he’s already experienced it here. I’ve been around a lot of different training facilities and PowerStrength just is a leg up, it’s a step up.”
Ethan’s advice to others with big goals is simple: “If you want to bring your game to the next level, this is where you need to be. PowerStrength is the best place. If you want to have an All-Conference season, or All-Region season, help your team win, everybody needs to be doing the same thing coming to PowerStrength. I see, even our team, the kids who go to PowerStrength are some of the best players on our team.”
Ethan Carter leaves an indelible mark both on and off the field as he prepares for college football.
“Without PowerStrength I probably wouldn’t have any of the opportunities I have. Where I’m at, and as a football player and a person.”
GET STARTED AT POWERSTRENGTH
4th-12th grade athletes of all sports and abilities can sign up at PowerStrength at any time while spots remain. Choose the PowerStrength location most convenient for you – Alpine, Kentwood, Jenison, Plainfield, and Holland.
Visit https://powerstrengthpro.com/athlete/contact/ to learn more or click below to schedule your assessment and get started.
