Inside the ‘brotherhood’ that forms the backbone of Hardaway football
Michael Woolridge’s voice echoed throughout Hardaway’s football practice field and traveled well beyond the track surrounding the grass. Position groups split up into linemen and skill positions (receivers, running backs) each took turns sprinting from one side of the field to the other, then sprinting back.
Then, each group did it all over again, sometimes adding another down-and-back run, all while trying to beat the clock. The Hawks, before their final sprint, each held up four fingers, representing a hypothetical fourth quarter.
They’re called gassers, and are a favorite among football coaches for team conditioning. And conditioning is paramount right now for the Hawks, who are off to a 1-1 start and open region play Friday at Troup.
“Fifteen! Fourteen! Thirteen!” Woolridge shouted.
This is a typical scene for a Tuesday Hawks practice, according to the coach. It’s during these intense workouts that a team’s resolve is tested.
Most of these teammates have played together for years, from youth football through middle school.
“We’re more like a family than a football team,” Hawks running back Jordan Moultrie said. “We’ve all been playing together for a long time, so we’ve all got a connection. It’s a brotherhood. More than just a football team.”
Those who didn’t grow up with the rest of the team don’t feel left out, according to quarterback D.J. Lucas.
The team makes it a point to avoid showing favoritism. That helps improve the team’s chemistry,
“We’ve been a brotherhood for a good minute, since we were young,” Lucas said. “You don’t have to start over and build your chemistry, we just come in, and we’re up and running.”
The Hawks are up and running so far in 2020.
They opened with a 33-3 blowout of Americus-Sumter, then played Callaway, arguably the best team in Georgia High School Association 2A, close, losing 16-7.
The team’s brotherhood mentality has worked wonders for the Hawks, who have improved in back-to-back years.
Hardaway finished 7-4 last season, including an opening-round playoff loss to Thomson. The Hawks entered 2019 following two of their best seasons in recent memory.
“We don’t just point fingers at one person; we’ve got to hold each other accountable,” Moultrie said. “The chemistry is there. It’s the little stuff. If we get the little stuff together, we’re a state team.”
They had to grind for a playoff spot last year, and followed a disheartening loss to Cairo by winning five of their next six games.
A state championship appearance will be a tough ask: Hardaway’s region now includes — in addition to every Muscogee County School District high school except Northside — Troup and LaGrange.
But if the Hawks can continue on the same trajectory, a deep playoff run is possible.
“Trust each other,” defensive back and safety Christian Curry said. “If we all trust each other, do our job, then it’s very easy. It can’t be one man messing up, if we want to be a state team. We all have to be on the same page with everything.”
And given the close bonds within the locker room, staying on the same page should not be difficult.
Hardaway (1-1) vs. Troup (0-2)
- When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
- Where: Callaway Stadium, LaGrange, Georgia
- All-time series: Troup leads 5-3
