Dashae Hubbard leads Spencer into matchup against rival Carver

Spencer senior defensive back Dashae Hubbard's favorite subject in school is math. He likes the class so much, for one, because he's a numbers guy. More than that, though, he enjoys it because he likes being challenged with problems.

"I'm good at solving problems," he said simply earlier this week.

It's a personality trait that has served him well in the classroom and one that has helped him become a go-to leader for first-year Greenwave coach Pierre Coffey.

"You want your guys, your freshmen to come in and take to a guy like that," Coffey said of Hubbard. "They're naturally going to take to someone, and you want it to be guys like that."

Coffey is trying to continue to shift the culture within Spencer football. He wants a group committed to being winners on and off the field. That culture, he has said, will ultimately translate to wins down the road.

To do that, he needs guys such as Hubbard.

The coach knew about Hubbard even before he got to Spencer. As an assistant at Carver, which Spencer will play in the 53rd Heritage Bowl on Friday at A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium, Coffey had already heard Hubbard's name and knew of his athleticism on the field.

What he didn't know about was Hubbard's personality. Once he got to Spencer, though, he said his intensity on the field and good heart off of it was a perfect match.

"The athleticism goes right along with his personality," Coffey said. "His teachers love him. He's a kid that every teacher wants to have in their classroom. He's a good student, he has a good GPA. He's a guy you just know is going to be successful."

Spencer held leadership classes throughout the summer, and Coffey said Hubbard stood out even among the seniors in those situations.

"His mentality is always positive," Coffey said. "He thrives on being a good person. He leads by example and vocally. He's just an all-around good kid."

It's not something Hubbard always did. He said playing football was the biggest contributor to his leadership. He picked it up along the way from other teammates or coaches that have helped mold him into who he is today.

That has encouraged him to do the same for younger players on the team right now.

"It's helped me realize what leadership is all about," he said. "Somebody who can conduct the team, you know, someone who is respected. Who people want to follow."

He's not worried about the pressure of being looked up to. He knows that making good decisions is up to him.

"I'm the type of person who likes to show a great example," he said. "I try to be that guy who is always teaching. If they get on the same track I'm on, and my track is about winning, then we can go out and achieve what we're trying to achieve."

This story was originally published August 27, 2015 at 7:26 PM with the headline "Dashae Hubbard leads Spencer into matchup against rival Carver ."