Football means everything to Xiyeer Lattimore and Jeremiah Sawyer, two high school seniors who share at least one goal despite playing for different teams.
Each wants to give everything he can to a 2020 TSSAA season put in doubt by the COVID-19 pandemic, and there are plenty of players and teams in the Chattanooga area who have similar ambitions - and will likely feel a sense of relief Friday night when the first whistle finally blows and the ball is kicked off.
Athletes knows the risks associated with competing in contact sports amid a pandemic, but some of them have prepared for what seems to them their entire lives not only to help their current teams but to try to continue to play beyond high school. For seniors such as Brainerd's Lattimore and Tyner's Sawyer, this is the last chance to make an impression on those who offer opportunities in the college game.
Lattimore, whose Panthers open at Hixson on Friday, began playing football at the age of 4. He calls the sport "my peace," but there is no relaxing when it comes to preparation for a player who likes studying video of NFL standouts such as Minkah Fitzpatrick, Stephon Gilmore, Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson.
"All summer I woke up about 8 a.m. and would get out of bed to do 200 pushups and 100 situps," said the 5-foot-11, 175-pound Lattimore, who plays quarterback and defensive back for Brainerd. "At 9:30, I leave the house and jog to the school. Once I am there, a few teammates and myself start with ladder drills, and then we get on the track and do speed drills. We then work on offensive and defensive things and finish with 10 hill runs. Then when I get home, I go work out with my dumbbells."
While some college football programs, including those in the Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences, have postponed their fall seasons with plans to attempt a spring semester schedule, that would be an even tougher task for high school teams. So TSSAA football players, though team workouts were shut down by the pandemic, had to prepare as if their season would happen as scheduled.
Panthers coach Tyrus Ward has no complaints about how Lattimore spent his down time, which was anything but that.
"During Covid-19 a lot of athletes' work ethic has been exposed," Ward wrote on Twitter. "Not Xiyeer Lattimore! The work he has put in since March is amazing. Some will and some won't put the work in. Some can and some don't! This kid has something major to prove this season. #XiYEAR21."
Lattimore and Sawyer both said they are taking all the precautions necessary to keep themselves and their teams safe. They have long considered the game of football to be a safe haven and an escape from everyday life, so to sacrifice social activities such as parties - and basically go home after practices and games - is something they don't mind if it means they get to play.
Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Tyner's Jeremiah Sawyer totaled 170 yards and three touchdowns in the Rams' 2019 season opener, and he is being counted on for big contributions again this year.Sawyer, whose Rams open next week at Central, is one of the area's top all-around prospects after finishing last season with 70 tackles (10 for loss) to go with 560 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in a deep Tyner backfield.
Every opportunity Sawyer gets to shine is taken to heart as he plays to honor his late brother, Malik Brewer, along with close family members Raheem Blunt and Davon Sherrer, who both died last month.
"I am motivated every day to go out and work so I can give my best efforts playing this game for the loved ones who aren't here anymore to see my success," said Sawyer, who recently received a scholarship offer from Tennessee State University.
"With the game almost being taken away from us, it's made me value it even more. This is also a bigger opportunity for me to stay out of trouble and keep going in a positive direction. We all want to go out with a big bang this season and want to play for a state championship and win it."
Sawyer opened last season with a 170-yard, three-touchdown performances and is again expected to have his number called frequently, with Tyner coach Wayne Turner saying the 5-10, 206-pounder "will run the ball hard for us and can do damage."
"Jeremiah has been in the weight room all offseason. He has a purpose and is pushing himself and his teammates to be the best they can be," Turner said. "He is on a mission."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.