A few weeks ago, I saw a young man in one of my favorite early morning stops where I routinely frequent to get a mug of their coffee.
I must confess that I am hooked on their coffee and in my personal estimation, it is the best in town when it is served freshly brewed or hot.
I recognized the young man who is perhaps in his mid-twenties when he first walked in the convenience store. He was one of the football players who had been an integral part of two of the State Championship teams who has made history in our locale by winning six of the last eight championships in the AA Division.
As a Wildcat fan and concerned citizen, I have naturally been very interested in these young men and how they are getting along now that their high school days are over.
As a one-time high school football player who did not apply myself academically for the next level, I have much empathy for these young athletes who are talented when it comes to playing football, but fail to hit the books in order to be considered by a good college or university to play collegiate football.
If I had to do it all over again, I would spend more time hitting the books and developing my academic skills and playing football would be a secondary activity.
Fortunately, I came out alright in spite of being in the same predicament that many of the young men who excelled on the gridiron field now find themselves. Though there are quite a few who seem to be doing well after high school football days are over, there are still others who are evidently not doing so well. Right here, I want to share with you a brief report on the lives of a few of the standout players of the Wildcat championship years and what they are doing now.
I am going to begin by giving you a brief update on Tyquan Hayes, one of the coolest under pressure quarterbacks who ever played for the Dillon Wildcats.
Tyquan was the quarterback for the Wildcat team who won their second state championship back in 2009. I choose to feature his picture as the face of this article because he has served as an example for his brothers Erireon, who now plays for Old Dominion and Zareon, who is in his last year at Dillon High School.
Tyquan graduated from college with a degree in criminal justice and is presently pursuing a degree in forensic psychology. He will start his new job in August as a probation officer for the State of South Carolina. Not bad for a young man who was born and raised in Newtown and managed to escape the poverty, gangs, drugs, and other negatives that has enticed and ruined so many of our young men.
I want to now give you an update of two of the greatest linebackers that ever played for the Wildcats. Joe Blue and Damu Ford are both currently pursuing their collegiate careers as student athletes. Damu Ford is playing football for the South Carolina State Bulldogs and Joe Blue is playing for Newberry College.
Then there are the twins Anquan and Antwan Blue, who were standout players for the Dillon Wildcats during the championship run.
Regrettably, they are not attending college, but they are both employed and working on some pretty decent jobs. One works for the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of Dillon and the other is employed as a driver and distributor for the Coca-Cola Company.
I am proud of these boys who have escaped the evils of Newtown that holds so many like them hostage to idleness, vagrancy, drugs, and worst. Though they are not in college, they have become responsible young men who don’t mind working on a legitimate job for a living. They are polar opposites of the trifling and lazy young men who want work in a pie factory and are a nuisance to our community.
What about Jabo Lee, the most outstanding running back of the championship era? What is he doing now? To the best of my knowledge, he is back in Newtown. It was reported that the injury he sustained his senior year in high school was a definite factor in why he was unable to perform at Temple University to the level that we Wildcat fans had hoped. It is our prayer that he will not be lost to the streets, but will find gainful employment and become a good and constructive citizen.
Then how can we ever forget Avery McCall? The greatest quarterback not only in the history of Dillon Wildcats football, but also one of the greatest in the history of the state with four championships to prove it. The last thing I heard, he was still attending Coastal Carolina University and had overcome the injury and personal complications that hindered him last year and should be ready to compete and play up to his potential this year.
I deliberately saved D. J. Parks for last. D.J.’s story is special to me because I know his father and mother personally. Due to their discipline, D.J. was not only a good athlete, but also a good student who was ready for the next level academically. He will be a junior this year and is expected to make an impact on the Gamecock’s team as an offensive lineman. D.J.’s case is exemplary and all the parents and football players should not wait nor depend upon the coaches to prepare them for the next level.
Like D.J.’s parents, they must put more importance and emphasis on academics and attitude than on Friday night football.
When this is done, it will not only equip them for college, but for life. Regrettably, many of the young men who played football for the Dillon Wildcats failed to look or plan beyond their high school football days, when they were entertaining and exciting us on Friday nights during football seasons.
It is sad that these players who helped to bring so many state championships and recognition to our city have not for the most part reaped the benefits of their athletic exploits and achievements.
All most of them have to enjoy and relish about their high school football career are rings and memories.
Where does the blame lie for the lack of advancement for so many of these young men once they graduated from high school?
There are those who say that it is the fault of the school and athletic program for not attempting to get them ready for the next level academically as early as their freshmen year. Such observations and opinions say that there is a need for academic coaches who will help to motivate and prepare our football players to be good student athletes.
However, at the end of the day, the real fault lies with the parents for not doing their jobs. Though the school and athletic department have a role to play in their academic performance the real responsibility is their parents.
Parents it is your job to make sure that your sons are ready academically for college or the next level. The day is over when athletic talent alone is the deciding factor concerning whether or not a high school football standout will be recruited by a collegiate program.
Most universities and colleges are more interested in how high school football players are performing in the classroom than they are about how talented they are on the gridiron field.
Again, I want to stress to all of the parents of these young men, you will do them a great service if you would put your foot down and make them put their academics over playing football.
I am not against them playing football; however, I am against them playing football when they are performing poorly in the classroom.
We have too many standout football players who could have excelled in college and perhaps played in the NFL had not it been for their failure to prepare academically.
As a loyal wildcats’ fan, who has cheered, celebrated, and boasted to others in the Pee Dee region about our stellar football program and state championships, I appeal to the principal, coaches, and especially the parents, let’s do all we can to help prepare our football players for the next level.