Jacob Hendrix ~ Jordan Turner
Ware County Middle School
Waycross, Georgia
Story by John DuPont
Photography by Bo Carter
They boast strength and speed, force and finesse. Regardless of which side of the football they’re playing, Ware County Middle School features a lethal 1-2 punch in eighth-graders Jacob Hendrix and Jordon Turner. The Gators won two of their first three games of 2013 and head football coach Chad Starling says much of the team’s ultimate success relies on the production of the talented tandem. Hendrix, the son of Ashlea McQuaig and Jason McQuaig and Michael Hendrix, is a playmaking force at quarterback and defensive end for WCMS.
Turner, the son of Jackie and Swails Turner, makes headlines at tailback and outside linebacker. “Jacob is tall and lanky. His determination and grit is how you describe him. He’s a gamer that plays hard on both sides of the ball,” says Starling. “Jordon is a very fit kid and he looks very athletic, and it’s because of his work ethic. He has tremendous speed, a real slicer and dicer with great speed to the corner.
”A three-sport athlete (football, baseball, basketball), Hendrix is a modern-day Renaissance man who also plays with golf. He spends time in the outdoors and has been known to play the trombone. The 6’ signal-caller, who scored his team’s only touchdown in the season opener against Martha Puckett, likens himself to University of Georgia field general Aaron Murray.“We’re both pocket passers and we can both run to a certain extent,” says Hendrix, an avowed UGA fan. “Last year against Waycross, I threw a 67-yard pass. It was ‘go’route to Trey Cobb. It was good because we hadn’t beaten Waycross in the past four or five years.”An honor roll student and member of the Junior Honor Society, Hendrix garnered the Citizenship Award as a fifth-grader at Waresboro Elementary and he has been a Principal’s Award winner every year in middle school. An eager beaver in the truest sense, he won an award of the same name every year in elementary school. He has his sights set on a medical career.“Jacob wants to go to the University of Georgia and be a cardiologist because we have several family members who have had medical issues,” says Hendrix’s mother. “Any kid that needs help, he’s always saying ‘Mama, let’s go buy this or that.’ He’s always wanting to help kids in need.”When Hendrix was a toddler, he earned the nickname “Tater” from his grandfather, Wayne Varnadore. The name stuck and family members routinely address him by that moniker. His stable of supporters includes his uncle, Tony Varnadore, and his older brother, Derick McQuaig. Hendrix’s brother played fullback for WCMS and often laid down blocks for his younger sibling.
These days, Hendrix is working on all fronts to solidify his reputation as a passer.“Tater’s passing game is just awesome,” notes Jason McQuaig. “If there’s a spot on the field where the ball needs to go, he’s going to put it there. He is diehard, all the way, 100 percent sports. In the morning, the first thing that comes on is sports. It gets on my nerves. I can’t handle that much SportsCenter.”Opposing defenses find Turner hard to handle, and with his 4.7 speed, it’s no wonder. Turner victimized Long County this season with three scoring runs and authored a 52-yard scoring run against Arthur Williams. In the spring, he showcases his quickness on the track, specializing in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 4 x 100-meter events. He’s also agile enough to play shooting guard and small forward on the court and strong enough to heft 195 pounds in the bench press and 290 on the squats rack. His greatest gifts might be his diamond skills.“In football, it seems like everything comes natural,” Turner says. “But in baseball, it takes time and practice. A couple of tournaments ago, I made all three outs in one inning. I made a diving catch and had a throwback to first to catch the runner. Then I had another diving catch.”Turner’s cousin, Makalani “Boo” Williams, played tailback at the University of South Carolina. His uncle, Fitzgerald Williams, was a defensive specialist at Valdosta State. Turner’s father was a standout on the 1980 Blackshear Tigers team that posted an undefeated regular season. Turner admires current Oregon running back De’Anthony Thomas, but dreams of playing for Alabama. Meanwhile, his father conjures continued success in the classroom“I’m proud of Jordon most of all for his academics,” says Swails Turner.
“Ultimately, we would like to see sports take him to college. That’s his dream. I would prefer him to get a college degree and go into the business world. I want him to realize one play can ruin that dream and we really put an emphasis on grades. So far, he hasn’t let us down.”Jordon Turner has exceeded standards on his Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) each year, a feat that qualified him for Duke University’s Talent Identification Program (TIP). Like Hendrix, he maintains membership in the National Junior Honor Society. Turner also participated with the Georgia Quiz Bowl and Battle of the Books teams while attending Wacona Elementary School, where his mother served as his principal.“I never cut Jordon any slack,” says Jackie Turner. “I was his principal from first grade through fifth grade and I teased him that I was going to follow him to the middle school.
For him, it’s like being the preacher’s kid – he has to walk a straight line. Jordon is very ambitious. He doesn’t like to lose at anything. If he is in it, he is in it to win it.”The future of Ware County High’s already successful football program looks to remain bright with Turner and Hendrix moving up in the ranks next year. Their ascension gives Gator fans plenty to anticipate. Unfortunately, that leaves the faithful of Ware Middle searching for their next dynamic duo. “A lot of what we do on both sides of the ball goes through both of these kids,” Starling says. “They are just two kids that I’ve really enjoyed coaching, ones that we will hate to see go.
“I could tell at a young age that everyone I was around loved football and I wanted to get in depth with the love of the game the way they saw it.” – Jordon Turner
Turner’s Timeline:
Christmas Plans: Caroling
Hopes to hear his name: At the T
Career Goal: Engineering
“I try really hard at what I do. I always give 110 percent and put my whole heart into it. I strive for perfection, but realize perfection is unattainable.” – Jacob Hendrix
Hendrix’s Habits:
Favorite Food: Pizza
Musical preferences: Rap or motivational
Dreams of driving: Ford F-150 Super Duty
