There was one player who stood Monday during the Lyman High football scrimmages against Evans and West Orange at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes camp.
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Jared Peavey was in charge and it was obvious. He looked like a four-year starter, directing traffic, signaling schemes and putting teammates in position. One would think this was the obvious team captain, the coach of the defense, the guy who everyone trusts.
But Peavey is the new guy. He transferred to Lyman in the spring from Westwood High of Fort Pierce. From his energy on the field, no one would know this is a guy who has struggled through life. He has bounced around from home to home.
For the past two years he lived with his grandmother in Fort Pierce. Prior to that he spent time with his mother in South Carolina. Looking for a new start, he recently moved in with family friends in Altamonte Springs.
His father has been in prison for the past six years, the charges for which Jared said he cannot remember. Perhaps he doesn’t want to remember.
His attitude is incredible, especially given his past. He’s unfazed by life’s turns. He said he keeps his expectations low so as not to be disappointed.
“I was just born to be that way,” Peavey said. “It’s just motivation. I talk to my mom. I do it for my mom, do it for my uncle.
“It’s difficult, but I like being the underdog.”
Lyman coach Steven Jerry loves it.
“He’s a great kid. He picked up everything really, really fast and he’s our leader. He came in Day 1 and just jumped right in and started leading our guys and they jumped on board and started following him,” Jerry said. “He has great character and just does everything right.”
He has physically taken over the Lyman defense. At times he grabs freshman Joel Rodriguez and pulls him into position, and Rodriguez accepts the advice. He’s instantly become a mentor to the existing Greyhound players.
“I just play aggressive and have confidence and like to be loud. If the defense is loud, the (opposing) offense struggles,” Peavey said.
Lyman gained a credible leader who the players already look up to. It’s such a crazy scenario. Here is a kid who had 70 tackles last year at playoff-qualifier Westwood (7-6), including 7 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. He could have picked any number of schools in the surrounding area, but he chose to remain at the school for which he is zoned according to his living arrangements.
Lyman hit rock bottom last season. The Greyhounds did not win a game, going 0-10, although their record now reads 1-9 with a forfeit victory gained after it was learned Lecanto used an ineligible player in a 50-6 victory.
It took the Greyhounds five games to score a touchdown, getting outscored 227-0 in the first four games. But they have the right coach in place with Jerry. Despite everything Lyman went through last year, the coach has been incredibly upbeat about the program.
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“After Game 2, we chose for our program to focus on the positive, to focus on the growth,” Jerry said after Lyman started off 0-5. “We’ve chosen to focus on the fact that we are now moving the football, whereas in Week 1 we weren’t moving the football, and Week 2 we weren’t moving the football. But in Week 3 we started moving the football and our kids were getting better and better and better.”
Step by step, Jerry will see progress with his direction. It’s the little things that he and the Greyhounds will embrace. A guy like Peavey, with such incredible enthusiasm and energy, is sure to help.
Peavey’s ability to channel his emotions and thought processes away from his personal life and generate positive energy on the football field is impressive.
“It’s one of those things like, ‘To whom much is given, much is required.’ Well, he hasn’t been given a whole lot, but he still feels like he’s required to do a ton,” Jerry said. “He has a very giving heart and he does everything he can for everybody else. It’s really crazy how things are working out for him.
“You want so much more for him than his current situation and it’s … it’s kinda tough.”
Peavey is no surrounded by superstars, but if he can make a teammate better, then he’s going to do it.
“He fits what we talked about last year. It’s not necessarily about the record,” Jerry said. “It’s about us coming together as a community and loving Lyman.”
And he’s hoping that he can build a culture that will start keeping Lyman players at Lyman.
“You look around the county and there are like 15 kids who are playing at other schools who are zoned for Lyman,” Jerry said. “So somebody is coming in here because they want what we have.”
Jerry knows all about what Lyman has. He played at Lyman High as a 1989 graduate who went on to play college football as a quarterback/wide receiver at North Carolina.
“That’s all it’s about for me, returning that love to the high school,” Jerry said. “Do we want to win? Of course we want to win. But we want to have a great culture, we want to have great kids and we want them to have a great experience.”
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Chris Hays can be found on X.com @OS_ChrisHays.