ITG-SG / September 2016
In South Georgia, when you think of football hot beds, names like the Wildcats, Vikings, Packers, and Trojans come to mind. Small towns rarely get the shine they deserve, until something big happens.
Adel, Georgia, is home to the Cook County High School Hornets. A city with a population of roughly 5,344 people likely won’t land on many people’s bucket lists to visit someday. For Hornets running back Brandon Doe, the small town atmosphere provides a gritty backdrop as he strives to bring respectability to his stomping grounds.
As one of the Hornets’ top players, Doe relishes the opportunity to lead through his play and set an example for his teammates.
“It feels good to have even upperclassmen look up to you,” Doe said. “I feel like I set a good example on over half of the kids here. I help out where I can. If I can give help to people and set an example, I try to do the best I can.”
Doe, a junior at Cook, would be a promising ambassador for his city. Doe prides himself on being a standout in the classroom as well as on the field. While he does not know his current GPA, Doe assures he holds his own academically.
“I’m pretty good with my grades,” Doe said, laughing. “I haven’t failed a class since sixth grade, so I’m sure (my GPA) is pretty good.”
Doe lists his favorite subjects as literature and social studies. Conveniently, Doe finds himself on the precipice of re-writing the Cook history books already despite being in the 2018 graduating class. Per MaxPreps, Doe is only 27 yards away from 1,000 yards rushing for his career and has 17 career touchdowns. While Doe has not received any college offers, he expresses interest in a future move down to Tallahassee to play at Florida State.
“I would love to play at FSU,” Doe said. “If they offered me, I probably would commit. I look at their history of players, their program, their stadium, and Deion Sanders — one of my favorite Hall of Famers.”
Away from the field, Doe readily admits there’s little excitement outside of classes and practices, but he values being able to spend time with friends and teammates and playing video games.
Doe’s combine measurements certainly would look good in EA Sports’ Madden Series. At six feet tall and 172 pounds, Doe registered a 4.68 40-yard dash time and an eye-popping 34.4-inch vertical leap. By his own admission, those numbers pale in comparison to what he is capable of now.
“Those numbers weren’t quite correct,” Doe said. “I was coming off of a leg injury when I went to that combine. I have no excuses, but (those measurements) are way better now.”
Doe follows two NFL teams closely, the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks. His favorite players are former Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (recently retired), Rams wide receiver Tavon Austin, and former Georgia Bulldog Todd Gurley.
The Hornets can rely on Doe not only for his ability between the tackles, but also as a wide receiver and outside linebacker. As a little-used freshman, Doe managed only five carries but produced 115 yards and one touchdown. Last season, Doe carried the ball 123 times for 858 yards and 15 touchdowns with an average of 107.3 yards per game. With such gaudy numbers, Doe still gives himself room for improvement heading into this season.
“I want to improve my yards per carry,” Doe said. “I had (994 all-purpose yards) last year. This year, I’m striving for 2,000 plus.”
The Hornets were 7-4 last season and 4-2 in Region 1-AAA. Despite their success, the Hornets still struggle to shed the underdog label. Doe believes that continued hard work, team chemistry, and an ever-growing bond with the coaching staff are keys to team success.
“The coaches are all like individual fathers,” Doe said. “They all try to help out any way they can. My teammates are like my brothers. Every time we work out or one person wants to go somewhere, we have group messages and plan to go places as a team. We do a lot together.”
According to Doe, his family has been quite instrumental in his growth as a player. With his skills sharpening annually, Doe never forgets what the game has meant to him from childhood.
“My family has been behind me 100 percent,” Doe said. “I’ve been playing football since I was eight years old. Even when I’m feeling down, they’re always there for me to make sure I feel comfortable. If there has been anything I’ve needed, they’ve provided it for me, down to cleats or other equipment.”
Motivation mounts for Doe as he heads into his junior season with the Hornets. Not only is Doe prepared to make doubters eat their words, he has found strength through a valuable teammate.
“We had our No. 1 defensive player (Marion) Kejon Deberry, our middle linebacker go out for a whole year,” Doe said. “He blew out his knee, tore like three different ligaments. The same year he got hurt, he stayed dedicated; he never gave up. He worked out every day with us and went to every event with us. He’s back now, so I want to shout him out for his hard work.”
Doe shows an uncanny willingness to not only carry his load on the football field but the extra weight of putting an entire city and community on his back as well. With two years to go before he is eligible to play college football, Doe stresses his drive to make it big in the only game he has ever loved.
“I’ve given my whole life to football,” Doe said. “My motivation is my hometown. We’re small. We’re always overlooked. We get a lot of disrespect from other teams from time to time. My goal is to put my team on the map, get us noticed, and give back to my community. That’s my motivation — to prove a point.”
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Proving A Point
By Shane Thomas
