ALICEVILLE, Ala. — Aliceville High School senior middle linebacker Terry Mayhew admits he once was “an angry person.”
Mayhew credits new Aliceville coach Charles Moody with being the influence that helped him channel his emotion and energy and mature into a fine young man.
“Coach Moody really stepped into my life and became a father figure to me,” Mayhew said. “He changed me a lot. When he got here, I was always mad. I am leaving this program a better player and a better person.”
Mayhew, a 5-foot-9, 177-pound senior, led the Yellow Jackets with 108 tackles, including 62 solo stops. He had four sacks, four interceptions, eight forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries.
For his accomplishments, Mayhew is The Dispatch’s West Alabama Defensive Player of the Year for 2011.
“Terry is going to be very hard to replace,” Moody said. “He lined everybody up on the field. Terry knows football, and he knew our defense inside and out. He knew all the calls and knew what each of our players was capable of. He was a team leader and a coach on the field.”
Aliceville (5-6) finished second in Class 3A, Region 4 with a 5-1 mark. Hosting a first-round playoff game for the first time in five seasons, it lost to Washington County 56-28 decision to Washington County in its playoff opener.
While the season could be considered a success to some, the Yellow Jackets didn’t realize their main goal to make a deep postseason run.
“We came out hard every game and expected to win,” Mayhew said. “It didn’t end the way we wanted it, too. It was a good season but not very, very good. From a personal standpoint, I think I had a good season because I helped a lot of the younger players under me.”
The new attitude instilled by Moody allowed Mayhew to blossom as a leader on and off the field.
“I really had to step it up and do my best,” Mayhew said. “It was my job to show the young people how you work together as a team. I felt like I was leading when I made big football plays on the field.”
Aliceville needed that leadership after the eighth game of the season. Following a region win against Greensboro, outside linebacker/kicker Tremaine Jackson was killed in an automobile accident. The Yellow Jackets dedicated the remainder of the season to the memory of their fallen teammate.
“It was tough. It still is tough,” Mayhew said. “Everybody played for his spirit. We all lost a part of life. He was a good friend, a good teammate, and a great linebacker. It was hard to push through that time. It still is.”
Moody said the leadership traits Mayhew displayed in a time of need took root in the offseason.
“Terry stayed about a mile and a half from the school,” Moody said. “During the early morning workouts this summer, I would go to pick him up. We would pass about halfway; he would be running to get to workouts. That is the type of leadership you need to be successful.
“The season is much easier when you don’t have to look for a main leader. You feel better as a coach when you know who that person is going to be. When we had a problem, that was one guy I didn’t have to look to. Terry was the first person in and last person out. A team takes it on its identity based on its leaders. There was no doubt Terry was a leader on this team.”
While the leadership mantra came later on in his football career, Mayhew’s love for the game came much earlier.
“I have played football since I was 5 years old,” Mayhew said. “I started out playing golf because I didn’t know anything about football. Once I found the game, I fell in love with it. There was something about football. It was fun hitting somebody in a good way. It made me feel good.
“That is what I like about playing linebacker. It is exciting when you know you have the capabilities of making the big play to get your ball back for the offense.”
On most Friday nights, Mayhew came ready to show out. In addition to playing linebacker, Mayhew also got several touches on offense out of the backfield. Moody said Mayhew’s preparation set him apart from others.
“I always thought football mattered to him,” Moody said. “The mental aspect of the game is so important. If you have conquered that, you are going to be successful. I always thought Terry had a great mental attitude, and then on top of that, he was an awesome athlete.”
Both player and coach feel like this combination of mental preparedness and athletic ability will allow Mayhew to make an immediate contribution to a college program.
“People don’t understand football is always about the right situation for a player,” said Moody, who played at Alabama A&M. “You can take Wes Welker. He was a nobody when he played with the (Miami) Dolphins. Then he turned into an All-Pro player with the (New England) Patriots. It was all a matter of the best fit for him.
“The same holds true about Terry. When he finds the right college system for him, he is not going to be average player. He is going to really excel. His resiliency, ability to make plays and the gray matter that he possesses is what is going to make him a tremendous college football player.”
Mayhew said Alabama A&M, Jackson State, and the University of North Alabama have shown the most interest in his services. Mayhew said he is taking the recruiting process slowly and anticipates a chance to play on the next level.
“I look forward to playing on a college field and having thousands of fans cheering for me,” Mayhew said. “I feel like I can be a big-time player. I feel like I have left his program on a good note, but it is time to move on and play on that next level.
“I was really an immature person when I came into high school. Football has made me become a man and step up and take responsibility.”
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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