Leadership and Unity: Hornets’ Team Culture Paved the Way for a Big Win
(Sponsored by Tinsley Law & Title, Holt Wrecker, R&R lawn specialists, Gibson Pharmacy)
By Michael V. Hannigan
Athens Hornets Head Coach Zac Harrell works hard to build culture in his program. Culture in sports means getting players to do things the right way and for the right reasons.
In Athens, that culture is often captured in the acronym SWARM, which stands for Selfless, Win Everyday, All In, Relentless Effort, and Mental Toughness.
Great goals, for sure, but difficult to assess among teenagers who often face numerous challenges and distractions.
Last week, the Hornets' leaders showed they were getting the message.
After being hit by a series of setbacks, including learning that quarterback David Richardson is going to be out for some time with a foot injury, the Hornets' captains called a players-only meeting. The message was simple: they needed everyone to be all in.
This included then-JV quarterback Thatcher Diamond, who was tapped to play his first-ever varsity game last Friday. According to Coach Harrell, the captains said if you didn’t believe in Thatcher, you didn’t belong on the team.
The players then went a step further. Without any prompting from the coaching staff, they moved Thatcher’s gear out of the JV locker room and into the varsity locker room. The move carried a powerful message—they were all in this together, and Thatcher was one of them.
"I didn't know they were going to do that," Coach Harrell said. "I told them to address some other things, but I had no idea they were going to bring up Thatcher. To see them take it upon themselves, to show that level of leadership and care—that says everything about these kids."
Thatcher repaid his teammates for their faith in him on Friday night, completing 14 of 19 passes for 210 yards and four touchdowns in the 44-35 win over Brownsboro.
"Not too many sophomores could handle that kind of pressure the way Thatcher did," Harrell said. "But a lot of it came down to the support he had from his teammates. They made sure he knew he wasn’t alone out there, and it showed in the way he played."
Culture: It's about more than game time. It's about the power of team unity, and last week the Hornets proved that anything can happen when they have each other's backs.