ATHENS – A lot rides on the punt returner at Athens Academy’s Tuesday football practice. Two rewards come from a successfully fielded ball: a chance to end practice without suffering through sprints and an early release to the boys’ weekly highlight — team dinner.
One recent Tuesday, the punt was caught, “everybody freaked out” and the Spartans followed the scent of bacon grease and buttermilk waffles to teammate Crawford Grow’s house, where a Waffle House food truck awaited.
It takes a village, especially when it comes to feeding a high school football team pursuing a championship. Many nights of each week, not just on Tuesdays, a crew works together to make sure the team is fed and ready for Friday’s game.
The Spartans went undefeated in the regular season this year, for the first time since 2019. Starting with their first playoff game this Friday against Aquinas, the Spartans are aiming for their first state title.
But dreams of a championship can’t be realized on empty stomachs.
Football is “a lot of winning and losing, and whatever extra you have is, you know, the camaraderie and how you feel about your teammates,” said Grow’s mom, Kelly. “I think [team dinner] just gets everybody together and gets everybody excited about it.”
Athens Academy football families volunteer to host team dinners every year, with senior parents getting first priority. While the families try not to repeat the menu over the course of the season, there is one staple course that makes the exception – buffalo chicken dip with scoop Fritos.
According to the seniors, who have eaten a lot of buffalo chicken dip over their time as Spartans, Dorothy “Hot Dot” Walker, mom of senior cornerback and wide receiver Charlie Walker, has the best recipe.
The Waffle House food truck and “Hot Dot’s” signature dip aren’t the only traditions loved by those in the Athens Academy football family.
Hampton Johnson, a senior quarterback for the Spartans, hosts a Varsity hot dog eating competition each year before the final regular-season game. The record is currently held by senior lineman John “Cheez It” Humphries. He successfully downed 14 hot dogs last year – and subsequently threw them up when he got to his car.
“I mean, we got a bunch of talent on this team,” Johnson said, “but we’re also super close-knit and super tight with each other because of the team dinners and, you know, stuff that we do in the summer.”
Before the start of each season, Alexander hosts what the program calls “The Milledge Run.” After concluding a run down Milledge Avenue, the seniors are awarded their signature team shirts. The shirts this year sported the number 47, symbolizing the 47th football team in Athens Academy’s history.
The afternoon, of course, wouldn’t have been complete without a meal. With their “Team 47″ shirts in hand, the Athens Academy seniors and coaching staff headed to Stacy Stephens’ house for a classic cookout – hamburgers, hot dogs, watermelon, cupcakes.
“I think Josh does a great job at fostering community and that’s something that’s important,” Michelle Beckum, the mom of senior twins Robert and William, who both play wide receiver and cornerback, said of head coach Josh Alexander. “The boys love it.”
While Tuesday night team dinners hold a special place in many Spartan hearts, Friday afternoons before kickoff bring about last-minute good luck wishes, heartfelt prayers and pickle spears – to help ward off cramps – to accompany a pregame meal. On Sundays, families provide food for the coaching staff during film watching sessions.
“We eat really, really well every week,” said Alexander. “You never leave there hungry.”
Conversations across tables covered in Spartan green gingham cloths vary, but football usually comes up in discussion. Alexander and his staff talk game plans and pick apart opponents’ defenses while the players discuss fantasy lineups.
According to his teammates, Grow has the best fantasy football roster. Stars like Bijan Robinson and D’Andre Swift put Grow’s lineup at the top of the group’s league leaderboard.
Time spent off the field is just as valuable as the hours spent at practice, in the weight room and on the field on Friday nights.
“It’s just cool being around the coaches and the boys outside of football and just being a little normal,” offensive coordinator Denny Dotson said. “It’s not always about football, and it’s just cool to be with them and seeing them and their personalities, and it’s fun to watch them be with their friends.”
Alexander echoed Dotson, emphasizing the importance of giving his players a chance to “just be kids.”
Moments come and go, but one thing has remained constant at Athens Academy for the last 10 years and that’s team dinner – smothered and covered in camaraderie, community and cuisine.
Mia Fishman is a student in the University of Georgia’s undergraduate Sports Media Certificate program.
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