A big orange sun slowly cuts through the South Georgia pine trees, and all you hear is the crunch of the grass in the early morning dew as the Ware County Gators’ cleats create an intense alarm clock. Wave drills, M drills, nonstop backpedaling, and ball drills times infinity. Players call it grinding, but this is the breeding ground for the newbies and the proving ground for the bulls. D-I recruit or first year freshman, they all see the same drills.
Ware County Senior free safety Ha’Keem Dillard understands the false toughness that a freshman may cling to to make it through the tough summer practices and demonstrate the prowess expected by the veterans. Dillard has worked hard to be a good high school football player, and it has paid off because he is creating opportunities to play at the next level.
“Early morning grinding, constantly putting in work, and showing up to practice,” Dillard said. “As a starter and free safety, we go hard at practice each snap, bringing a lot of energy to the team, and after practice showing up to watch film so you can learn from your mistakes.”
Dillard’s hard work complements his athleticism, and a desire to achieve perfect technique, see the offensive formation, and understand the entire defense just adds fuel to the fire.
“Technique is the most important because with the right technique you can have good leverage and good feet work to make a play on the ball,” Dillard said. “It’s very important because on the field the entire secondary depends on the safety to let them know where to line up at in order for them to make a play. Playing safety has certainly made me a better student of the game. It helps me paint a mental image of what the play may be before the snap of the ball. Since I’m in the middle of the field, it allows me to see what everyone else is doing as well.”
The energy that Dillard speaks of has to be the same at 5:30 a.m. on the practice field as it will be when the lights flip on at Memorial Stadium on Friday. It sounds like a reciprocal process, but the reality is a program and its players and coaches that have to live that philosophy constantly. It’s that kind of energy buzz that what creates an “it” factor, programs that others sit in awe of. Players who will be fortunate enough to play for the Ware County Gators football program often realize it’s a special program, but it also comes with expectations on all sides.
“Its intense but very fun knowing that you have the old heads and the li’l kids looking up to you. And knowing that you have to put on for your city each night is an exciting feeling to be a part of and because many other schools don’t have a fan base like us, so that’s a blessing,” Dillard said.
Playing with amazing talent creates unique opportunities to help players become better.
“It makes you want to go even harder to prove that you are just as good as them or even better. Also during the game they may be bringing the college scouts to watch them, but if you turn up at the end of the night, that scout will go back and start scouting you as well,” Dillard said.
The Gators have an opportunity to go against some of the best in daily practice, but they went through a definite change when Franklin Stephens came to be the head coach at Ware County.
“The program has changed; it’s gotten a lot more serious and concentrated towards a real goal to make it to the State Championship,” Dillard said. “More of the people on the team pray and give God thanks for what he had blessed us with. Coach Stephens instilled that to the team, and now we’re following up and learning from him.”
The majority of Stephens’ colleagues would describe him not only as a great coach but also a molder of young men. A player that has worked like Dillard has certainly earned the respect of his coach.
“Hakeem is a great character kid that makes any program better because of his participation,” Stephens said. “While his numbers may not show it, he has worked diligently in the weight room to improve his overall physical conditioning and physique. On the field, Hakeem is moving more into a leadership position through his actions of consistently working daily to improve his craft. As the season is progressing, Hakeem is beginning to peak at the right time for the Gators.”
As the 2016 regular season winds down, Dillard is getting ready to finish up the regular season in the Gators’ new region but also remembers that he played well in the 2015 playoffs.
“It’s really the same region-wise,” Dillard said. “You never know who may be on top each week, so you just have to keep working hard so you can play in the Georgia Dome for the final game. Last year playing Northside Warner Robins at the Mac stadium in the first round of the playoffs, we had stopped their winning streak they had going on for a couple of years to win, and I came out with six game-stopping solo tackles and a fumble recovery for our offense to come out to score.”
Beside playing football, Dillard also plays basketball and runs track. Football is his first love, and his tenacity as a free safety has gotten him looks at the next level.
“I have received my first scholarship to the University of West Georgia but also have a couple of other schools that are interested in me,” Dillard said.
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Peaking Right On Time
Written by John Wood
