South Georgia - In The Game High School Sports Magazine

Michael Wakefield Valdosta High School Valdosta, Georgia by Robert Preston Jr. photography by Micki K Photography

For Valdosta High School defensive end Michael Wakefield, suiting up for the Wildcats program each Friday night is something special. The history, the heritage, the legacy - all of those things run through his mind as he prepares each Friday night. Like all the Wildcats, Wakefield knows about Valdosta’s storied past. To him, there’s something more important about being a Wildcat than simply adding to Valdosta’s win total.

Wakefield’s father, James, was a Wildcat from 1982-1985 and helped Valdosta claim two state championships and one national title. The Valdosta heritage is a part of his family, and he takes his role in that legacy very seriously. “It means something special to play for Valdosta High School. It feels great to be a part of this program. It’s hard to describe what’s it like to play here,” says Wakefield.

Wakefield has lived in Valdosta his entire life. The 6’3”, 225-pound defensive end started playing football when he was five years old. From the time he stepped on the field, he was one of the biggest kids out there. He played a variety of positions growing up, including linebacker and offensive guard. Wakefield had a solid middle school career at J.L. Newbern Middle, where he played both ways. When Wakefield reached high school, he spent his first year on the ninth-grade team as a defensive end. The following year, Wakefield earned a starting role on the varsity team. He’s never looked back.

Under head coach Rance Gillespie, Wakefield has matured into an excellent football player. Wakefield immediately noticed a change in intensity during the spring of his sophomore year. Gillespie made several changes to which Wakefield, like all of his teammates, had to adjust. He adapted well and has continued to improve each time he steps on the field. “Something just felt different from the first day of spring practice. We had a good spring and that carried over into the season,” says Wakefield. By now, everyone knows exactly what happened last year - the Wildcats had their best season in many years, winning 11 games and advancing to the quarterfinals of the playoffs.

In 2011, Wakefield would like to build upon the success the Wildcats enjoyed last year. He knows it will not be easy. The 2010 Valdosta team was one of the most talented in the state, and several of its players are now on major college rosters. Malcolm Mitchell is leading the Georgia Bulldogs in receiving as a true freshman.

“We lost a lot of starters from last year’s team. We’re going to have to really step it up,” Wakefield says. Wakefield is one of the leaders on the 2011 team, a role he has accepted and embraced. He has become more vocal and he is leading by example. He cannot expect the best of his teammates if he is not giving his best every day in practice and on each play of every game.

“He’s a born leader. His leadership qualities came out very early,” says his father, James Wakefield. So far, the Wildcats’ commitment to excellence has worked. Valdosta is 5-1, with its lone loss coming to M.L. King on September 30.

Following the M.L. King game, the Wildcats would take the field against Lowndes in the annual Winnersville Classic, a game that featured two region title contenders with one loss apiece.

On September 10, Valdosta faced a formidable Lincoln (Tallahassee, Florida) team at Death Valley. Lincoln, Florida’s defending state champion in its classification, was ranked 17th nationally and heavily favored over the Wildcats. Nobody gave Valdosta a chance to win, and the players used their underdog status as bulletin-board material to step up their game. “We fed off the negativity. Everybody said we were going to lose,” recalls Wakefield.

But the Wildcats didn’t lose. They prevailed, 10-7, over their rival from across the state line. They say big players answer the bell in big games. Against Lincoln, Wakefield showed that he is indeed an elite defensive end. He led the defense with 6 ½ sacks, his best single-game performance, and it came against one of the best teams he has ever faced. Wakefield was relentless, and he beat the Lincoln offense by being quick off the ball and outmaneuvering the linemen. His performance earned him Player of the Week honors and helped further establish him as one of the top ends in the state. “That game against Lincoln really raised his stock,” says his father.

James Wakefield also had a great career at Valdosta. In addition to the championships he helped win, James Wakefield played outside linebacker at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette (then Southwest Louisiana). Michael Wakefield is poised play college football like his father, though likely on a larger stage.

Michael Wakefield did not think he would be heavily recruited. His father told him to sit back and wait. He was certain colleges would come calling. “I always knew my son would play college football,” says James Wakefield. And eventually, they did.

“Around the end of last season, the coaches started calling,” says Michael Wakefield.

During Wakefield’s sophomore season, a writer for ESPN wrote a story about the talent at Valdosta High, with a particular focus on Jay Rome and Mitchell. The author wrote that as good as Rome and Mitchell were, they weren’t the only great players on the Wildcats team. He mentioned Wakefield among the other Valdosta players who had a bright football future ahead of them. The story was released in the spring of Wakefield’s sophomore year, and James Wakefield knew that article would help generate attention for his son. He was right. Michael Wakefield has seven Division I offers on the table, though he remains undecided as to where he will play.

Michael Wakefield is taking a variety of factors into consideration before he makes a final decision. He’s not going to choose a school based on reputation alone. He would like to attend a strong academic school, preferably one that operates out of a 4-3 defense. “I think that’s what I would fit in best,” he says.

James Wakefield has told his son to evaluate each school very carefully. “Education is first. He knows he needs to get that degree. We look at all the schools and see what their specialties are. I’ve told him to take it one day at a time,” says James Wakefield.

Michael Wakefield could play several different defensive positions in college, and he is being recruited as a defensive end or outside linebacker. James Wakefield likens his son to a Dwight Freeney type of player. “Michael is so quick off the edges. He’s not as tall as Freeney, but he can still bring it,” he says.

James Wakefield is helping his son through the recruiting process, and giving him invaluable advice as the spotlight grows week after week. There is no timeline for a decision, but Michael Wakefield is looking at schools in the SEC and ACC.

One thing Gillespie and his staff asked each Wildcat to do was play another sport if he didn’t already. Before Gillespie arrived, Wakefield had played football and nothing else. Under his new head coach, the defensive end had to expand his athletic horizons. He settled upon the Valdosta High track team, where he found a job throwing discus and shot put. He is better with the discus. Last year, his personal best with the discus was 134 feet. Wakefield finished fourth in the region, narrowly missing qualifying for state. This year, he says he would like to finish in the top three and compete in the state track meet.

Michael Wakefield is known primarily as a football player, however, he is also an excellent student. He understands that without making good grades, all the sacks and Player of the Week awards do not matter. His parents have always encouraged him to do well in school, and, as he puts it, “My mother stays on me pretty good.”

All the work in the classroom has paid off. Wakefield has managed to find that balance between athletics and academics, and, as a result, he has a bright future. When he gets to college - whichever college that may be - Wakefield would like to major in business and then become an entrepreneur. He is not sure where he would like to live when he graduates. After having lived in Valdosta all of his 17 years, he knows there is a lot out that he has not seen. Still, Valdosta is home, and he is not opposed to returning there when he is finished with college. “I might want to see what else is out there, but I can’t forget about Valdosta,” he laughs. ITG