Thomas Heyward hopes to work together to bring home championship

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the 10th in a series of previews of area high school football teams.

Zachary Bond can’t stand the thought of hanging up his cleats for good without bringing home a trophy. The linebacker for Thomas Heyward won’t accept anything short of a state championship. After falling short the past two seasons in the round of the playoffs, Bond doesn’t want to come up short again.

“It wouldn’t mean anything to me to make it out of the first round,” Bond said. “I want to go farther than that. Getting out the first round doesn’t mean much if you don’t get past the second.”

But that type of determination doesn’t come without a lot of preparation.

Bond said he’s learned to be laser focused and mentally sharp each and every time he steps on the field.

“You might see a guy that’s a little bigger, stronger and looks a little different than you, but everybody looks the same to me and I’m trying to hit somebody,” said Bond. “I just want to go out there and win as many football games as we can. Before every snap, I try to prepare myself. I want to be the one to make the tackle. I’ll get upset with myself if I’m not the one making the tackle. I try to hit the ball carrier every play.”

And setting the example is another goal on Bond’s list.

“I know that I have to be more of a leader,” Bond said. “I know that I have to help the younger guys with their technique and attitude. I just want to set an example for the younger guys. I have my younger brother on the team too, so I want to set an example for him as well.”

For quarterback Logan Thomas, his mission this year is to create a comfortable atmosphere as they usher in the new era of Rebels.

“I’m not going to take a different approach,” Thomas said. “I just know that we need to give it our all. My first goal is always to make it to the state championship as a team. I want the team to be more of a family.”

Bond and Thomas agreed that there was a lot of intensity during their fall camp, but there’s still a learning curve the underclassmen have to go through.

“We had camp and we came out, and we were killing each other,” Bond said.

“And then we came out in the scrimmage and laid an egg both times. We can be physical when we want to.”

“They are trying really hard,” Thomas said. “We have a lot of freshmen, and they are trying to figure things out. Of course, they have to get used to the varsity level because it’s a different speed, but I think they’ve adapted well. A lot of them are going to have to step up and play. I played my freshman year too.”

Looking back at film from his freshmen days, Thomas said he can’t believe how far he’s come. With three seasons under his belt, he’s learned that if he has a bad play, he needs to forget it and drive on.

“When I look back on my film from years’ past, I look at some of the mistakes I made back then, and I don’t even do them now,” Thomas said. “I’ve learned a lot and I’ve learned to become a better leader. Short-term memory is important. Put the play behind you and move on.”

This story was originally published August 20, 2017 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Thomas Heyward hopes to work together to bring home championship."