South Georgia - In The Game High School Sports Magazine

It seems unfair that one of the state’s best offensive linemen and best running backs are on the same team, but such is the case with Region 1-AAAAA’s Colquitt County Packers. Xzavier Ward, a 6’7”, 260-pound offensive tackle, is considered one of the best offensive lineman in the Class of 2011. And he spends a great deal of time opening up holes for Tevin King, a 5’6”, 160-pound lightning bolt of a running back who, despite his diminutive size, is one of Georgia’s top senior running backs. Together, Ward and King have played an important role in what will almost surely be a second straight playoff-bound season for the Packers under third-year head coach Rush Propst.

Unfortunately, for Ward, King and the Packers faithful, the 2010 season didn’t get off to a very good start. The highlight of Colquitt’s non-region schedule came in week two, when the Packers faced South Panola High School from Batesville, Mississippi. South Panola is considered by some – including Propst – to be the top high school football team in the nation. Propst convinced South Panola to make the long trip to Moultrie, and the two schools squared off on August 28 in one of the most widely anticipated games of the season. The South Panola game was Colquitt’s second of the season. The Packers opened the season against a very tough – and hungry – Cook County team, and faced Thomas County Central after South Panola.

The first three weeks of the season left many scratching their heads in disbelief. The Packers, who last year advanced to the semifinals before losing to eventual state champion Camden County, began the year 0-3, falling to Cook, South Panola and Thomas County Central. Neither Ward nor King had that result in mind. “After the first three games, we needed to rally, pull our team together and overcome the adversity. I feel like we’ve done that,” says Ward.

According to King, the reaction after those three losses was noticeable. “We saw fewer people at our games. There was lots of talk around the community. But Coach Propst told us we had to turn the season around and get that first win. If we could win just one ball game, that would build confidence for us,” he says.

Ward, King and the rest of the team took Propst’s words to heart. The Packers have rattled off four straight wins since losing in overtime to TCC, highlighted by hanging 63 points on region foe Tift County on October 8 in front of Tift’s home crowd. It’s a turn of events that have Ward and King smiling. Ward feels that the goals he and his teammates came up with at the beginning of the season are still attainable. “This year, we want to win a state championship. It’s been a dream of mine to win one since I started playing football,” he says.

The Packers already have taken care of the first step by defeating Tift County. In a five-team region, one region win guarantees a playoff berth. With that out of the way, the Packers can focus on improving their position among the region’s top four teams.

Of the 2010 Packers, Ward’s story might be the most remarkable. He didn’t take a traditional path to gridiron stardom. He almost didn’t take a path to the gridiron at all. Most elite players strapped on helmets when they were old enough to sign up for recreation league teams. Not so with Ward. He didn’t play football until eighth grade. Basketball was his sport and the only one he played in the seventh grade. He was tall and athletic with enormous untapped potential. But he just didn’t care about playing football. “I didn’t like the sport. Basketball was my first love,” he recalls. His friends applied positive peer pressure and Ward gave in. When the eighth grade began, he was on the football team. “The sport grew on me. It became very interesting. My friends were all playing and it was fun.”

Ward spent his freshman season on the ninth-grade team, then played junior varsity as a sophomore. “When Coach Propst got here, he told me I was going to be a player. But he said I had to grow and get stronger. I was about 6’4”, 210 back then. When he told me that, it made me want to work harder,” he says. For all Ward’s immense talent, he has always been a bit undersized. He has the frame but not the weight and strength to go with it. Even this year, after adding more than 50 pounds in two years, he’s still a relative runt for a 6’7” offensive tackle. But that doesn’t keep him from dominating opposing defenses. Ward has long arms and great footwork – the mobility comes from his basketball abilities – the very qualities college programs look

for in their offensive linemen. College coaches are also confident that Ward will add the additional 40 or 50 pounds he needs to in order to compete at the next level. “Xzavier Ward is a special player. His future is bright and he’s going to be a great college player,” says Propst.

Amazingly enough, Ward is only in his fifth year playing football. Even more remarkable is the fact that he’s only played one year 100 percent healthy. He suffered a hyper-extended knee last season that kept him out of the 2009-2010 basketball campaign. He came back 100 percent in the spring and has had a good season thus far. Given Ward’s height, he looks tailored for pass blocking. Surprisingly, he is better at clearing the way for the running game. “Xzavier has good leverage and is really good at run blocking,” says Propst.

That’s good news for King, Ward’s teammate and good friend. The undersized King’s outsized talent might not be enough to catch the attention of big-time college programs. “Most SEC schools are looking for scatbacks in the 180-pound range. Tevin’s just a little bit smaller than that at 160,” says Propst. Still, Propst believes King has the talent to play at the Division I level – if he gets the chance. “He’s one of the top three running backs in Georgia and he just may be the fastest back in the state. He has unbelievable speed. He’s not big but he’s very explosive,” says Propst.

King worked his way into Propst’s offensive plan when he was a sophomore. He would be the number-two back in Propst’s high-octane attack. That is, until everyone saw exactly what King could do with the football in his hands. By the fourth game, King was the featured back. He’s only gotten better since. “My role is to run the ball and get as many yards as possible. I’m supposed to draw defenses to the run game so the wide receivers can get open. We force the defense to stack the box to defend the run,” he says.

King is more than just a decoy. He has the ability to carry the offense himself. Earlier this year against Westlake, King set the record for the most rushing yards in one game in Colquitt County history. The old record of 260 yards had stood since 1959. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, King broke the record with 277 yards. He also scored three touchdowns that game. “When the announcer said I broke the record, the crowd went wild. I couldn’t hear what he said. One of our assistant coaches had to tell me what had happened,” recalls King.

The running back loves taking the ball to Ward’s side. Whenever a play goes left, King says he feels like he’s going to get at least five yards with Ward clearing the way. The two players are good friends and enjoy playing off of each other. “I think about scoring every time I touch the ball,” King says. “When I line up, I’m looking at the defense and trying to read what they are doing. I know my offensive line and how they block. I’m also watching them for the hole to open up.”

When he goes left, he is confident he’s going to get an opportunity to pick up big yardage. He recalls one play in particular from last year’s second-round game against Stephenson. King took the ball and exploded through the hole. From his periphery, he picked up a linebacker closing in quickly. Ward was tied up with another player in front of King. The running back braced for what he knew would be a devastating impact. At just the right moment, Ward turned loose and took out that linebacker. With his path clear, King ripped off 80 yards. Ward also knows that his efforts aren’t going to be wasted when King has the ball. Ward will open the hole and King will get through it. He’s just too fast and too good to miss an opportunity. And with Ward bulldozing the defense out of the way, there will be plenty of opportunities for King.

Ward and King have more than 30 college offers on the table. Ward has the most, accounting for at least 25 of those offers. Ward started receiving offers about a week after the season ended last year. He hasn’t made a decision but he has narrowed his list down to Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Florida, Clemson and South Carolina. Ward remains surprised at all the attention he has received. “I didn’t think I would get looked at like I have. I’m just trying to enjoy the recruiting process. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” he says.

Propst believes Ward has the size and skills that could translate into an NFL career. If Ward can top 300 pounds at 6’7” or 6’8”, NFL programs would line up to add him to their rosters.  But Ward knows that the League is a long way off.

Several schools have brought offers King’s way, including Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech, Georgia Southern, Western Kentucky and East Carolina. Like Ward, King hasn’t made a decision yet, though he’s leaning toward Louisiana Tech. “They came to the table first. And they run a similar offense to what we do at Colquitt. My mom likes Georgia Southern. Statesboro isn’t as far away as Louisiana Tech,” laughs King.

For King, there’s more to college than football. While Ward hasn’t yet decided on a major, King has clear cut goals he wants to pursue. He says he would like to major in pre-law. He knows it’s going to take a great deal of work but he feels as though he’s up to the task.

Both King and Ward like to spend time with their families when they aren’t playing sports. Neither player has much down time. When rare rest days come along, they like to take advantage of them. “I love spending time with my family. They keep me straight. I like being around them. They keep me humble,” says King. •

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