Player Spotlight: HoCo’s Ryan Mackey

The great Vince Lombardi once said, “Leaders aren’t born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work.”

If that is the case, Ryan Mackey has definitely put in the work. In addition to the hard work he has put in with the football program — where for the second straight year he leads the team in tackles — Mackey volunteers at his church, Southside Baptist, and helps out with the fourth and fifth grade Sunday school classes, imparting the same Christian values that he himself lives by.

Before interviewing Mackey, I spoke with several parents and coaches, all of whom have known Mackey for years, and they all said the same thing: he is one of the best kids you will ever meet.

Mackey, charismatic but also extremely humble, must have left quite an impressions on them — their faces almost lit up as they shared their stories and recalled experiences. A leader on and off the field, Mackey leads by example. And despite what Lombardi said, some of that is a gift from the creator.

Guided by his strong Christian faith, Mackey always puts other before himself, and he stated that he has considered getting into coaching after he graduates, which would probably be a great career path given his leadership qualities and his high football IQ.

On the football field, Mackey, a linebacker, plays with that seek-and-destroy mentality, and, like a heat-seeking missile tracking its target, Mackey can shed blockers and get to the ball, blowing up running plays and wreaking havoc in the opposing team’s backfield. Regardless of where he is on the field, Mackey just has a knack for finding the ball — something that can’t be taught — and he has a motor that never quits running. His strength and athleticism cause matchup problems, and his perseverance and never-say-quit attitude allow him to play at a high level throughout the game. With 49 tackles, he leads the team, and he has made several big plays this season on defense, including an interception and several game-changing tackles, shifting the momentum back to Houston County.

What the stats don’t reveal is Mackey’s ability to galvanize the team into action with his passionate playing style. Although Mackey is one of the nicest kids you could meet, as others have stated, when the football helmet goes on, he flips a switch and goes into beast mode, leaving everything out on the field. His blue-collar work ethic and hard-nosed style of play hearkens back to the glory days of football, when people like Mike Singletary, Dick Butkus and Jack Lambert roamed the gridiron, instilling fear in the opposing offenses, which garners respect from his teammates and coaches.

Mackey also plays tight end, and he has made several big plays on offense as well. In a critical region matchup against Northside, Mackey caught a long pass early in the third quarter, setting up a Houston County touchdown. This play provided the spark Houston County needed, waking them up from their offensive slumber. After trailing big at halftime, they would go on to hold Northside scoreless in the second half, thanks in part to Mackey’s defensive play, and win the game.

“Competing,” Mackey said when asked what he loves about the game of football. “Just going out and winning, and playing with my friends, basically my brothers, and coming together as a team to do something great.”

Mackey went on to say, “I have a great relationship with Coach (Edwards). I think we both respect each other — I think we’re on the same page with me buying in, and we both know where we want to go as a program. I feel like the season is going well — I feel like we have really come together as a team and bought into what Coach Edwards, Coach Singletary and Coach Chastain want us to believe. We have built a lot of confidence in the offseason, and it’s shown on the field, and going in there knowing we can win, that we will win, expecting to win — just a different mindset than last year.”

Mackey wanted to give a shout-out to some people who have supported him throughout his football career: “I have a good support system, my family. My grandma texts me before every game day. And one of friends, Cam Hicks — he texts me before the games as well. My cousin also texts me all of the time. She lives in Albany and can’t make it to every game.”

A rising junior, Mackey will continue to improve and make his presence known on the field. This kid has a lot of potential, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he managed to work his way onto a collegiate roster. His drive, combined with his tenacious playing style and moral rectitude, should translate into success in whatever he wants to do in life, so look for him to make his mark, on and off the field.

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