Eighth grade football players Hudson Spurlock and LaDedric Castellanos ended up teammates at Waycross Middle School from different roads but you certainly would think they had been together for a long time.
Hudson Spurlock
“Hudson is a great kid. He works hard in the weight room. He takes a lot of pride in doing things right and that transfers to field. He is a coach’s kid. He understands the game of football. It is like having a coach on the field. He has done well for us. He is a great running back and has good vision. He sets his blocks up and his speed is very deceptive. He runs very hard.
He is a great student in the classroom. He takes a lot of pride in his academics,” WMS Head Football Coach Kevin Stevenson said.
Spurlock’s father came to Waycross with his family when his Dad became the Offensive Coordinator for the Ware County Gators football team. His love of sports comes natural and never hits an offseason since competes in wrestling and runs indoor/outdoor track as a sprinter and hurdler.
“Mollie and I are very proud of Hudson; he is a great kid. He does an excellent job of being coachable and competing hard. Probably my favorite quality of his is that he cares about others; whether in school or on the field, he is always trying to help others be successful regardless of who they are,” the elder Spurlock said.
Hudson runs the 110m hurdles, 400m and 1600m relays, open 400m and pentathlon and placed third in the conference in wrestling last year.
“I am 14, I enjoy watching football highlights and watching any type of sporting event with my parents, along with being informed on it. I have 2 sisters (Riley is a 6th grader at WMS and Madelyn is a sophomore at WCHS) and a brother (Harrison is a senior at WCHS). My mother is the Waycross Middle School cheer head coach/Asst. WCHS football cheer coach; and my father is the offensive coordinator for the Ware County High School football team and asst. track coach at WCHS,” Spurlock said.
Spurlock’s favorite sport is football and he wants to be in any position that he has a chance to handle the football and gain yards to help his team. He also understands how much of an advantage he has since his Dad is a coach in one of the best high school programs in the state of Georgia.
“With my dad being the assistant head coach and the offensive coordinator it has not only benefitted me offensively, it has all around been helpful in the sport. I’ve also had the opportunity to be around some great players that my dad has coached. And I still get to see some of them play in college and NFL. Many of them are very successful people. Yes, I have learned to enjoy the game more than ever with my dad helping me along the way,” Spurlock said.
Hudson is also a great student, earning straight A’s. His favorite class is math and he has even on the Math Team at WMS. Besides being an all-around student on and off the field, WMS has helped him develop leadership skills and play ball with his good friends Jordan Williams, LaDedric Castellanos, and Banner Thomas.
“Ever since I moved to Waycross and began attending WMS I have made many friends whom I hope to keep when I transition to high school. I also enjoy being around my Principal, Mr. Hitt, who has taught me a lot about leadership. I enjoy spending time with my friends because they challenge me to be a better person,” Spurlock said.3
LaDeric Castellanos 
Originally from Miami, Castellanos found a tragic lesson from the violence in the area when his father was killed at age four. His family arrived in Gwinnett County and Castellanos showed he was a natural athlete on the baseball field performing at a high level against older players.
“I love football but my favorite sport is baseball and I love playing centerfield,” Castellanos said. Just like his teammate Hudson, LaDeric never hits an offseason competing year round in football, basketball, and baseball. He is a Bulldog fan and his favorite player is running back Nick Chubb.
“My goal is to keep getting stronger and keep at least 3.5 GPA. One of my best memories I remember playing middle school ball in my 7th grade year is starting 8th grade safety and making it all the way to conference and getting put out but I said to myself we’re going to win it next year,” Castellanos said.
One of his biggest influences has been Coach Kevin Stevenson, who is a like a second father to him and has made him stronger on and off the field.
“LaDedric is a very physical player. He is a head hunter on defense. He loves the weight room and that has transferred to the field. He is a great student in the classroom. He is a joy to coach and he is one of the 6th graders that I have been molding over the past two years. He is a wing back but has stepped up and played quarterback for us this year. He can play just about any position on defense,” Stevenson said.
Both young men will be great players for Ware County High School. They are good leaders. They understand the importance of academics and what it takes to be successful on the field. Coach Stephens is getting some good ones and you will hear their name a lot in the future.
SE-RS-10.15-Castellanos/Spurlock
WMS players learn that winning is a habit
By John Wood
Photography by Bo Carter
