ABERDEEN — Everything Fred Ward does this school year is infectious.
On the football field, the standout defensive linemen emerged as a valuable team leader who helped guide Aberdeen High School to the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 3A title game for the second season in a row.
The disappointment Ward and his teammates felt in that 10-8 loss was equal to the sting the boys basketball team experienced in a loss to Cleveland East Side. The loss denied Aberdeen a trip to the Big House in Jackson, where it had expected to compete for a state title.
But Ward is using that basketball loss as motivation, and his play is producing staggering results. Ward scored 18 points, grabbed five rebounds, had four blocked shots, and made two steals last week in a 79-42 victory against Nettleton. The victory was the 20th in a row for Aberdeen, which is scheduled tonight to begin play in the Class 3A, Region 2, District 1 tournament at Winona High.
For his accomplishments, Ward is The Dispatch”s Prep Player of the Week.
“Fred was in double figures for at least eight consecutive games coming out of football, and I thought that was very rare,” Aberdeen High boys basketball coach Roy Hazzle said. “He is not only contributing with points, but he is one of the team leaders in steals and blocked shots. He also makes a lot of assists. He and the post players play well together.”
Ward, a 6-foot-5 post player, will play football at Itawamba Community College in the fall. It”s easy to question that decision, especially when you watch Ward swish a fadeaway jump shot over a teammate in practice. But as good as Ward is on the basketball court, he said football is his favorite sport and he doesn”t have any plans to play basketball at ICC.
That decision, coupled with the fact this is the final season for Hazzle, adds to the urgency for Ward and the Bulldogs.
Hazzle said Ward is having more “fun” this season than last season, and that is rubbing off on his teammates.
“It is my last season and I am putting my all into it,” Ward said.
Ward said the memory of the loss to East Side reminds him daily he can”t quit. His energy level and his leadership prod his teammates to follow his lead.
“I know if I am pushing hard I know they are going to push,” Ward said.
Hazzle said Ward goes as hard as he can go until he gets tired and then asked for a substitute. That mind-set sets the tone for the rest of the team, and Hazzle obliges by using 15 or 16 players in many games.
“He works hard, he is on time, and he is having fun,” Hazzle said. “Last year, that wasn”t Fred and that wasn”t the whole team. He is shaking my hands, he is hugging me, he is cheering for his teammates.”
Hazzle related a story about how Ward raced out to the court and hugged a teammate after he hit a half-court shot. He said the exuberance Ward showed was something usually seen after a state title-clinching shot, but he said Ward”s spirit has helped bring the team closer together and focused it on giving Hazzle another championship before he steps down.
In pursuit of that goal, Ward focused his energy in the offseason on improving his shooting. He said he still needs to work on his free throw shooting, but he is more comfortable scoring facing the basket.
As good as he and the Bulldogs have played, Ward knows there is more work to be done. He said no one will be happy if the season ends without a championship.
Hazzle agreed.
“He is determined,” Hazzle said. “He is not going to be denied this time around. This is his last ride through Aberdeen High School, and I think he wants to go out in a special way.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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