Football: For SU's Diggs, son's presence refocuses life (10-07-06)
By Craig Juer (Daily Staff Writer)
WINCHESTER — In the care of his surrogate mother and paternal grandparents, JaQue' Diggs takes in every Shenandoah football game.
After the final whistle blows, 4-year-old JaQue' struggles against his grandfather's grasp and eagerly shouts, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" in the direction of the player in the No. 1 jersey.
To JaQue', Paul Diggs is just Daddy, and the weekly Saturday football game is just a diversion on a sunny day spent with his family. This has been true at every game since Diggs returned in 2005 from a three-year absence during JaQue's infancy. To his teammates, Diggs is no longer just "The Guy With The Kid;" now he's the go-to guy in the Hornets' backfield.
After spending his sophomore season as a special teamer behind Anthony Frates, Brandon Lacey and Richard Redwood, Diggs has emerged as the team's most productive back and arguably the best player on Shenandoah's offense.
A 23-year-old psychology major, Diggs is the only current Shenandoah player who played under Walter Barr, who reinstated the program before retiring after the 2001 season. Two of Diggs' former teammates — tight end Kevin Bosworth and running back Joe White — now coach at Shenandoah.
"Everybody looks at Paul as the old guy, the old man on the team," Lacey said. "Everybody kind of looks up to him. He looks a lot older, acts a lot older — he's kind of like a role model to the younger guys."
Diggs has the seniority you'd expect of a guy who is five years older than some of his teammates and is the head of a household — he shares an apartment with JaQue' and his girlfriend of three years, Tiara — but this year he is earning respect for his on-field contributions. After carrying the ball 20 times for 123 yards and a touchdown in 2005, he has rushed 56 times for 233 yards through five games this season to lead the team in both categories.
He's the only player with more than 100 yards on the season, and his 4.2 yards-per-carry average is the highest among Shenandoah's regular ball-carriers. His 92 yards against Christopher Newport last Saturday represent the best outing of any Shenandoah back this season.
"He is a very hard runner," offensive coordinator Brian Wolf said. "Teams have had trouble taking him down one-on-one. It takes more than one person to take him down, and it takes more than one hit to take him down."
When Diggs came to Shenandoah in 2001, he wasn't the humble, quiet man he is now. He had a degree of that fiery, hot-shot attitude that afflicts many freshmen.
"Especially with a new program, [freshmen] think they all should be starting on varsity, not JV," said Bosworth, now the tight ends coach. "They all have that swagger to them that they're better than they really are. Paul, I think he had that swagger."
White said Diggs' fatherhood made him a more responsible person and a better teammate.
"He was more arrogant [as a freshman]," he said. "He's got his kid looking up to him, [so] he's got to be a role model now. When he was a freshman, he didn't have to be. He was just being Paul Diggs."
Diggs said JaQue' wakes him up every day at 6 a.m.; he has to be dressed and at the bus stop by 8:30. Diggs waits with JaQue' for the bus and then goes to class, practice and sometimes the library or computer lab before coming home to feed, bathe and play with JaQue' while squeezing in his own schoolwork.
White said Diggs' ability to juggle school, football and — most importantly — parenthood prevents other players from cutting corners or making excuses.
"He's out there busting his butt every day," he said. "He's here, doing what he has to do — but he's got a kid, a family to support. He's doing everything [his teammates are] doing and more."
Diggs worked and took junior college classes while living with his parents in Waynesboro until JaQue' was old enough to accompany him back to Shenandoah. Coach Paul Barnes said Diggs never uses his parenthood as an excuse when it's time to head to the field.
"He makes every effort not to let that get involved in the football and the studying," Barnes said. "When a young man makes every effort that he can and he's caught in a bind, it's the job of the coach to say, 'OK, he's in a bind. He's done everything we've asked him to do, [so] we're here to help.'"
Diggs, who has played all season with a broken bone in his left hand, said he doesn't take for granted the understanding his coaches have offered.
"I let them know and they're very lenient towards that," he said. "I appreciate that and for that I work extra hard when I can to do better to make up for that."
Though his increased role in the offense has made him a de facto leader, the mental maturity Diggs has gained in the past four years has made him want to set an example for the rest of the team.
"He takes more pride in his work than he did when he was a freshman," Bosworth said. "He wants things done the right way. If somebody doesn't do their job now, he gets on them for not doing it the right way."
With so many young men depending on him — JaQue' and every younger player on the roster — Diggs carries his son in one arm and his team in the other.
"I'm sure he wants to do well, not only for himself and for the team, but also for his kid," Barnes said. "I think it's just added motivation for him."
