When it comes to loving high school football, two things drive that passion. Often it is a sense of loyalty that stems from pride in community. You spend 13 years walking the hallways of the same schools around friends that you have likely known since you were preschoolers. You graduate and either stay home or return after college. You love where you have lived your whole life.
For some, that pride in community is taken a step further in the form of pride in suiting up for that community and school every Friday night and giving it all for the name on the front of the jersey rather than the one on the back – like Kenny Chesney’s song “The Boys of Fall”.
In the case of Woodruff Senior Quarterback TJ Morris, it is a little bit of both. TJ has been around football – particularly Woodruff football, his entire life as the son of a coach.
“I’ve been playing sports for as long as I can remember. I started football at a very young age, as well as basketball. When I was younger and my dad was a coach for Woodruff, I was able to be a ball boy for all the teams that came before me. I have always been around the school due to both of my parents working for the school and coaching, so Woodruff High School means a lot to me since I was basically raised inside it. Suiting up on Friday Nights at W.L. Varner Stadium with my teammates and people that I love is just amazing and the atmosphere never disappoints no matter what. I enjoy going out there every Friday night with my teammates and just competing at a high level and having fun together.”, said Morris.
Based on that statement alone, it is clear that TJ’s parents have been his biggest influences in both life and athletics.
“My parents and family mean everything to me because they have been the ones that have pushed me to become the player and person that I am today. They will do anything for me– whether or not we win or lose. Also, my dad and grandad always provided me with great football knowledge and taught me how to be a better teammate and overall better person”, said TJ.
TJ definitely carries himself well on and off the field – but one of the most striking things about him is his work ethic and love for the game, which come together often.
“TJ loves football. He loves practice, watching game film, and preparing to play the game. He watches film and takes his own notes on opponents before we ever meet for a game plan. For example, he had a notebook full of things on Clinton he gathered from film work he had done throughout the entire off season. TJ is an unbelievable competitor and wants to win in everything that he does”, said Woodruff Head Coach Brett Sloan.
Off the gridiron, Morris enjoys golfing and spending time with his lifelong friends that growing up in a small town like Woodruff has helped him make – many who are teammates that shared in his most fond memories of his career to this point, such as leading his team to their season-opening 40-36 win on the road at Clinton where he threw for 228 yards and a pair of touchdowns while rushing for 2 more.
Despite being around the game his entire life, TJ knows that when the final whistle blows this season, it may just be the last time he dons his jersey and pads. With that knowledge, he is content to focus on being a good person and teammate and letting personal accolades come naturally from that.
“Something that I have learned from all my coaches is that there are always going to be ups and downs and no matter what you do, you must keep going and striving to be the best person you can be. As of now I have not received any interest or offers about college football, but I have remained open to the idea. But, I have taken my academics seriously and still will be able to further my academic career at any college. In the here and now, I am not concerned with individual stats. This is the advice I would give to all the younger athletes out there – focus on team goals and chemistry. With a good team will come individual moments to shine:, said Morris.
You can catch TJ and his undefeated Wolverines try and stretch their win streak to 6 games this weekend (weather permitting) at Willie Varner Stadium as they host Wren in their final non-region game.
