Mansey R. Billiot
June 21, 2011
Eugene Valentine Sr.
June 23, 2011
Vandebilt Catholic rising senior Seth Ward walks into the Terriers’ football field house and is quick to tell you how he feels.
‘Man, is it hot or what, he says with a laugh before introducing himself, rubbing sweat from his brow. ‘It’s like a sauna out there.
Louisiana heat on this bright and humid June morning is one thing, but Ward’s problem is made more complicated because of what he’s lugging around the Vandebilt campus.
He’s carrying around a football helmet, a baseball glove, a basketball jersey, a set of cleats and baseball pants. Add a book sack to the list and you’d have a recipe for what is otherwise known as the luggage of Ward’s life.
It’s not an easy job to be a three-sport standout student athlete at one of the most prestigious athletic schools in Louisiana.
But someone’s got to do it and Ward has been that someone for the Terriers lately, firmly establishing himself as one of the most well-rounded student athletes in the state with his athletic and academic successes.
‘You ask somebody on your team to step up to the plate and Seth’s the kid in our locker room that’s going to step up, Vandebilt football coach Laury Dupont said. ‘He’s just that type of kid. He’s an excellent student, as well as an excellent athlete. At this level, what more could you ask for, really.’
The sports in Ward’s athletic repertoire are football, basketball and baseball.
Like any list, human instinct makes one wonder which of the sports he prefers and which he’s best at.
‘Football is my favorite, Ward quickly says when asked that question. ‘It used to be basketball when I was younger, but football is my favorite and football is the one I think I’m the best at, too.
His coaches don’t deny that his collegiate athletic future may be in pads and a helmet, but they don’t fully back the statement that he’s the ‘best at any one thing.
They all believe he has the rare ability to excel at any of the three a luxury not many high school players have.
‘Every team would want a Seth Ward in their locker room, Vandebilt Catholic boys’ basketball coach Hank Washington said.
‘He can do anything as far as what he wants to play in college. He can have success in any of the three, it just depends which one he puts his mind to and chases.
Some athletes have ‘the look or ‘the swagger around them.
Whether it’s a mo-hawk haircut or the latest Michael Jordan-made sneakers, standout athletes are known to do something to do just that, standout.
Seth Ward, for all intents and purposes, just looks like a normal teenager. He’s not overly tall, nor abnormally short, standing right at 6-foot.
Likewise, he keeps himself in shape, but he doesn’t have an overly muscular build, maintaining a 205-pound frame.
‘Most people, when he walks on the floor, they’ll look at him and they’ll think that he can’t do anything, honestly, Washington said with a laugh. ‘He doesn’t necessarily look like he’s athletic, he just looks like he’s a pretty big and pretty strong kid.
Opposing teams quickly learn that’s not the case.
In football, Ward is one of the most terrorizing linebackers in Louisiana, having earned a spot on the First-Team All-State list with his sheer ball-hawking tendencies.
His secret. Hard hitting and physicality.
Ward recalls a play last season that he labels as his best-ever hit in game action.
As he tells the story, Ward cannot help but break into an all-out smile, still proud of his work.
‘It was this year against Belle Chasse, he says, anxiously trying to get to the story’s climax. ‘All I heard were the pads pop and that was it. I knew I got him really, really good.
In basketball, Ward is just as cerebral, just in a different way.
As a guard on the Terriers’ basketball team, Ward was a First-Team All-District performer, averaging 11 points per game.
Don’t leave him open from the 3-point line, or anywhere near it, either.
With opponents sagging off the standout to defend against slashing guards Lionheart Leslie and Elijah McGuire, Ward gets most of his points from at, or even several feet beyond the 3-point line.
Washington said he has ‘endless range.
‘He has more range than pretty much every high school kid, the coach said. ‘He has more range than most college kids.
Ward didn’t go that far, but conceded he’d put up his shooting stroke against most.
‘I like to think that I can shoot the ball really well, he says, trying not to boast. ‘That’s all I do when I’m in the gym is shoot, shoot, shoot.
On offense, it’s ‘shoot, shoot, shoot, but on defense, it’s back to being a tough and gritty football player, as Ward transforms from a guard to a post defender, grabbing 6 rebounds per game.
That’s the linebacker in him, a trait he said never leaves him in any sport.
‘I don’t know, I guess I’m just aggressive, Ward says of his mentality, struggling to describe it. ‘It’s just the whole, my adrenaline gets pumping and I sort of just don’t know when to relax. I have that football mentality where I’m going to go at them full speed every time.
Then there’s baseball, the sport he’s played competitively since he was 7-years-old.
‘Absolutely, he says when asked if baseball is the sport he’s played the most growing up. ‘Without question.’
Ward is a shortstop for the Terriers, but a position alone isn’t enough to describe what he’s meant to the Vandebilt program, according to former Vandebilt baseball coach David Constant.
‘He’s just one of those players who you remember because he’s a great kid, Constant said. ‘He was my shortstop for a while. He was my second baseman for a while. He’s one of those kids who will play wherever you tell him to play and he’ll go out and he’ll compete for you and do whatever the team needs.
Ward batted for a .434 average and drove in 34 runs for Vandebilt as a junior.
Constant’s feelings of appreciation toward Ward’s efforts were not left unwarranted as the coach hand-wrote a letter of appreciation for his shortstop when he resigned from his position as the team’s coach earlier this summer.
In it, Constant recalls a diving play Ward made at shortstop, saying it was one of the best he’s ever seen at the high school level. He also calls Ward a ‘true leader and a student athlete with talents that can ‘take him to the moon.
Leadership is the one quality Constant, Washington and Dupont all mentioned when asked to describe their player.
‘He’s the team leader. He’s our leader. There’s no question about it, Dupont said. ‘He was already our leader last year as a junior on the defense.
‘He’s always focused, Washington added. ‘He does all of those little things that no one ever gets credit for doing. He’s the guy who loves getting rebounds, he’s not afraid to box out and he gets steals. Everyone on our team loves him.
With one year of eligibility remaining in high school, Ward is nowhere near complete making his mark at Vandebilt.
He said he wants to lead the football team to a district title for the first time in his career. He also believes the baseball and basketball teams have the talent to push for state titles.
All of this, while trying to maintain a sparkling 3.75 grade point average. Again, it’s a hard job to be a three-sport athlete.
But Seth Ward not only does it, he does it well.
This guy might not necessarily look like the stereotypical athlete, but the results are hard to ignore.
‘The one word to describe him is just that, Seth Ward is a winner, Dupont said.
‘If you ask me to explain him in a single word, there’s no question that’s the word you use, winner.’
Seth’s Stats
Football:
- 2010 First-Team All-District selection
- 2010 First-Team All-State selection
- Defensive leader of Terriers’ defense
Basketball:
- 2010-11 First-Team All-District selection
- 11 points and 6 rebounds per game
- Starter for Vandebilt’s District Championship team
Baseball:
- 2010-11 First-Team All-District selection
- 2010-11 Honorable Mention All-State selection
- .434 batting average 34 RBI
