ITG-SEGA / September 2016
Playing quarterback at any level of organized football is definitely a task that not everyone can handle. To be a good quarterback you have to understand the play book as well as the coach and make sure that you can execute the plays athletically. But your actions on and off the field must be consistent with the voice of leadership with which you call the plays. Camden Middle School quarterback Shawn Hardy exemplifies that statement.
“Shawn is very loving and humble,” Chantell Hardy, his mom, said. “He cares about everyone. My son always puts others first and is not self-centered. He has never been a ball hog. He truly enjoys helping his teammates achieve their highest potential in every sport. Shawn has shown that he is a leader, and I am so proud of all his accomplishments.”
An eighth grader, Shawn understands the importance of the role of quarterback. Since he was born and raised locally, he also knows the importance and expectations that come with football in Camden County, and Hardy embraces those expectations. “My favorite sport is football, and I play both sides of the ball, but I love playing quarterback,” Hardy said. “At quarterback, I like to throw, and we have designed run plays for me, but what excites me most about being the quarterback on the field is being a leader. Sometimes my teammates don’t know what to do and get nervous, but they need to look up to someone that can lead them. I feel like I am a person that is in that position to help lead them.”
Though he plays defense too, Hardy is quick to remind that you can score on offense and offense wins games. Scoring is even one of his favorite middle school sports memories, when Camden Middle School scored 50 points against rival St. Mary’s Middle School.
“That is something that I can never forget,” Hardy said. “We scored 50 points before halftime. That is something you don’t see every day at any level. I was so proud of my teammates and what they accomplished, and being able to accomplish something like that against our rival made it even better.”
Before Camden Middle School’s regular season starts, Hardy had a chance to test his skills against other teams in the Tyrone Jones Classic Jamboree.
“I think my team did really well,” Hardy said. “We won three out of five of our games. We showed a lot of team work. We made some mistakes, which we saw on film and we will correct in practice. But overall I think the way we performed, we knew what to do. I was happy with the way I played personally, too, but I can’t run the ball myself. My teammates are the ones that block for me and make sure I don’t get tackled and am able to score.”
During the jamboree, Hardy scored five rushing touchdowns and threw for one touchdown in the three games his team played. Besides playing football for Camden Middle School, Shawn also plays basketball and soccer. In soccer, his favorite position is forward, and in basketball, he plays small forward and center. Off the field, Hardy enjoys math because it’s a hard subject that challenges him. Hardy is also an FCA leader at Camden Middle School and enjoys seeing people starting to bring God into their lives.
“Shawn has been an inspiration to me,” his father said. “He is very calm under pressure. He understands that his talent comes from God. We have taught him not to take it for granted and to work as hard as anyone to be the best at whatever he chooses to pursue. He loves to spend time with family watching movies, playing family games, or his favorite thing to do, eat.”
Even though he lives in Georgia and not far from Florida, his favorite team is the Gators, and his favorite Florida Gator is Percy Harvin. “I hope to go the University of Florida, and if not at Florida maybe an Ivy League school, like Harvard or Yale, and then hopefully the NFL,” Hardy said.
“I wouldn’t be as motivated if it wasn’t for my family,” Hardy said. “They are always helping with football, school, and homework. They do a lot for me and always encourage me.”
Away from school and sports, Hardy enjoys hanging out with friends and playing with his little sister, who is his best friend. He also has two older sisters and a brother who works in New York.
“When I get to high school, I think I will be able to help because I am going to keep working on my skills as a football player, but I also want to be a good student,” Hardy said.
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Calling The Signals
By John Wood
Photos by Michael Brinson
