- May 6, 2024
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With the Hawks down 10 points to Flagler Palm Coast, Jacquez Lord calmly walked to the huddle nearly halfway through the fourth quarter at Pop Johnson Field.
After gashing the Bulldogs' defense for a 10-yard run on the first play, the Hawks’ 5-foot-7, 145-pound running back was confident. A familiar feeling entered his stomach before he took quarterback Kyle Minckler's hand off on the second play of Spruce Creek’s drive.
One move was all that was needed.
With a sharp cut and feet as quick as gossip, the speedster blasted through a hole in the line and left the Bulldogs’ safety in the dust. After 53 yards, Lord was in the end zone.
“I don’t know where the move came from, honestly,” Lord said. “When I got the ball, I just kept going. I just planted my foot and put a move on the safety. It just happened.”
Lord, with unnaturally quick feet and surprising hands for a player out of the backfield, has been a focal point for a dynamic Hawks offense all season. Although Spruce Creek (6-1, 3-1) was downed by the Bulldogs in a controversial game, the Hawks are in prime position for a playoff berth after their win over Mandarin in double overtime.
Lord had the game-winning touchdown in the final extra period against the Mustangs.
The Hawks have just two games left in the regular season: contests with University and New Smyrna Beach. And despite his size, Lord has one thing on his mind: Just keep running.
Spruce Creek coach Andy Price still remembers the first time he saw Lord play football.
A ninth-grader at the time, Lord’s superior speed on the Hawks’ junior varsity squad left a lasting impression.
Four years later, Price admitted Lord’s size does present difficulties. He said that Lord’s size limits what the offense can do in short-yardage situations. In addition, Lord struggles to handle larger defenders while in pass protection.
But Lord doesn’t let that limit himself.
“He’s got a lot of heart, that’s for sure,” Price said. “To run between the tackles when you’re 145 pounds takes a lot. He runs hard for a guy his size. He’s able to do a lot more with his frame than most people I’ve seen with the same frame.”
But after witnessing what Lord did on the the JV team, Price would have to wait to see more. Due to a family situation, Lord transferred.
To Mainland.
Lord never thinks about his size. He believes he can run by or through any obstacle in his path.
“My mentality is always to run hard,” he said. “I read my blocks, run behind them, and once I find the hole, I just run so I won’t get touched. But even if I do get touched, I feel like I’m strong enough to pull away and break tackles.
“I just play as big as anyone else.”
After a dazzling debut in Spruce Creek’s JV program, however, Lord had to wait to display his speed for the Hawks. Before the start of his sophomore season, he and his family moved to the Daytona Beach area. As a result, Lord transferred to football powerhouse Mainland.
His time with the Buccaneers didn't go as planned, though.
Lord rarely saw the field.
“I had a few guys playing in front of me,” he said. “I was just overwhelmed there with not playing.”
But despite his limited playing time, Lord’s season with the Buccaneers was still a learning experience. One of his teammates was a major inspiration for him.
That teammate?
University of Central Florida’s star running back Adrian Killins.
Before he began terrorizing college defenses for the 18th-ranked Knights, Killins was a featured player in Mainland’s backfield. The 5-foot-8, 152-pound Killins inspired Lord to run hard in spite of his small frame.
“I like watching him do his thing at UCF,” Lord said of Killins. “Being at Mainland with him and him being where he’s at now, I just feel like if he can do it, I can do it, too.”
Lord found his way back to Spruce Creek when he transferred from Mainland before the start of his junior year.
Price was happy to have him back on the team. Lord’s speed poses questions that some opposing teams can’t solve.
“We’re kind of just now starting to see what he really should have been doing last year,” Price said. “His speed is so unique for us. I think it helps a lot to have a guy that can score, be a home run hitter and then have him catch the ball really well out of the backfield.”
As for Lord, he’s happy to be back in his hometown of Port Orange and grateful to be a featured player on one of the area’s best teams.
Lord said the feeling of streaking down a field with defenders gasping for breath behind him is a special one.
“It’s really just quiet,” he said. “I’m just going full speed.”
