By now, everyone should be well aware of the success taking place in Colquitt County. The community is still riding high from the waves of an undefeated (15-0) 2014 football season that saw the high school’s Packers stake claim to the Class AAAAAA State Championship.
Once again, Packer Nation has a reason to celebrate. Away from the gridiron, young Parker Hardigree is carving his own path into the record books in Moultrie. On February 5, Hardigree took home a title of his own when he captured the Class AAAAAA State Diving Championship at Georgia Tech.
“Going into this meet, I was nervous because I wanted to follow in the footsteps of all my former teammates,” Hardigree said. “However, I think my experience competing at a national level with Moss Farms helped me keep my nerves in check.”
His victory almost feels as if it could have been written in a storybook: The diver that Hardigree defeated for the title was in a position almost exactly like his just one year ago. While Hardigree is merely a freshman, last year’s champion, Norcross’s Griffin Ramsey, was a sophomore when he defeated an upper classman to take his place at the top of the mountain.
“I knew it would be awesome for a freshman to come in and beat the reigning state champion, and I knew that I would 
make Colquitt County proud,” he said. “I had a feeling the competition was mine after about the eighth round when my name never went out of first place on the leaderboard.”
As noted earlier, aside from his talent, his drive, and his work habits, perhaps the biggest thing to fear about Hardigree is the age at which this excellent ability is coming to fruition.
“I practice with Moss Farms Diving Tigers in Moultrie,” he said. “However, I go straight to the diving well after school to help coach the younger lesson kids. A typical practice for us starts in our dryland area. We warm up and practice leadups in the pit. Then, we dive outside for about an hour and a half. The last part of practice includes conditioning, ab workouts, and stretching.”
Parker Hardigree has a stronghold on the diving world. And from the look of things, that won’t be changing any time soon.
South Georgia/April 2015
Cover Athlete/Special Feature
Parker Hardigree
Colquitt County High School
Moultrie, Ga.
By James Washington
