By Donald Heath

Special for the Effingham Herald

GUYTON – When South Effingham running back Kadin Ward got his chance to play with the varsity football team last season, he said he went "ham."

It's street slang, an acronym for a valuable trait every running back wants to possess: Ham means aggressiveness.

And at 5-foot-9, 195 pounds, Ward, a rising sophomore, might be just the kind of running back the Mustangs can feed off.

During the second half of the 2022 season, Ward, whose older brother Dylan plays on the defensive line, led SEHS with 410 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

"(The Mustang coaches) put me on the JV team at the start of the season, but I just played my heart out and I got to that spot and when there was an opening, they moved me up," said Ward about his increased workload during the final five games.

Ward had 14 carries for 89 yards and two scores in a 19-14 win over Grovetown (SEHS' eighth game) to put his team in the playoff picture.

He added 108 yards and two TDs in the season finale 37-24 loss against Evans. Had South won, it would have been the fourth seed from Region 2 in the Class 6A state tournament.

"(Ward) was only a freshman last year and I know as a coach you're hesitant in putting any kid 14 years old out there," said SEHS first-year head coach Loren Purvis after the first week of summer practice ended on June 8.

But the Mustangs couldn't bring Ward along slowly after top running back Jamari Fields (now headed to Wingate) suffered a knee injury.

Ward was ready and produced a 39-yard gallop in his first game against Islands. He didn't play the next week against Bradwell Institute and saw limited time against Effingham County.

Down the stretch, Ward received the bulk of the playing time at fullback, allowing 165-pound Justin Martell (the team's leading rusher) to play his natural wing position for more perimeter runs and pass catching.

But that was last year and a new coach brings new ideas for the Mustangs. In Purvis' spread offensive alignment, the fullback does a lot of blocking. Ward is ready to compete for the job again.

"I loved my freshman year. I had an amazing coach (Nathan Clark) but he moved on and that made me upset, but it makes me play harder," Ward said. "When people leave my life and I'm connected with them, it just puts fire to my soul."

Purvis said some college recruiters already have Ward on their radar.

"He proved himself and had a good (freshman) season and I'm looking forward to his sophomore campaign," Purvis said. "He's already a strong kid, but I think he's going to get tougher and he's going to get stronger in the weight room and that's going to be evident on the field in the fall."

CAMP NOTES

Loren Purvis, who was hired about two months ago, said Justin Long was elevated to defensive coordinator. Long was the special teams coordinator under Nathan Clark at SEHS. Long has 18 years of coaching experience, including two as a defensive coordinator. The Mustangs were expected to see their first action of the summer against another school when they traveled to Statesboro High on June 13 for a 7-on-7 competition with the Blue Devils.