Mitchell Woodard was too early.
Eli Dement was too late.
But both Heritage Academy seniors were right on time to sign their letters of intent during Wednesday’s National Signing Day ceremony in the high school gym.
Woodard signed to Northeast Mississippi Community College and Dement chose to play at Mississippi College as each football player finalized his collegiate destination.
“It’s always a great day to have our students signing athletic scholarships to move on and play at the next level,” Heritage Academy football coach and athletic director Sean Harrison said.
Both Woodard and Dement played key roles in the Patriots’ MHSAA Class 5A championship team in 2021. Woodard was one of quarterback Mack Howard’s top targets at wide receiver and a contributor on defense, while Dement was a rangy linebacker able to help out at running back.
And each took a different path toward stardom on Magnolia Lane.
Woodard built himself up for years with the Patriots, working toward a major role on the team ever since his freshman year. That took time, though — and it necessitated packing on the pounds.
“I had to just keep grinding in the weight room,” Woodard said. “I wasn’t a very big guy, so I just came to the weight room every day and just ate a lot.”
A diet of protein, protein and more protein — Woodard uttered the word four times in all — helped him get to where he wanted. He had to wait his turn, but by the summer of 2020, he was seeing the results he had hoped for. At long last, Woodard was a starter for the Patriots.
“He didn’t really crack the starting lineup until his junior year, but before that, all he did was work to get there,” Harrison said.
At 6-foot-2, Woodard established himself as a threat on the outside as Howard took over for Carter Putt at quarterback. In the 2021 title game, he caught three touchdown passes from Howard as Heritage romped to a 51-21 win over Copiah Academy for its second state title in three years. He was named to the MAIS Class 5A all-state team as a senior.
“We work harder than everybody,” Woodard said. “That’s our standard here, like I said when we won our last state championship.”
Woodard said he liked the coaching staff at Northeast, which brought in a haul of Golden Triangle area players, including seven from West Point High School, four from Columbus High School and two from West Lowndes High School.
“I like their offensive style of play,” he said. “They said they could use me a bunch of different ways, and I just look forward to getting up there.”
Dement, meanwhile, became the lone area athlete to sign Wednesday to a school that was not a junior college. He said he loved the campus and Christian values at Mississippi College, an NCAA Division II school.
“I’ve wanted to play college ball since I was little,” Dement said. “Hard work pays off.”
From West Alabama, Dement started his high school career at South Lamar High School in Vernon. Then Heritage Academy contacted him, telling Dement about its football program, detailing the ways he could be used on the football field and explaining how the school could shape him into a college player.
Dement announced he was transferring to Heritage Academy in April — “about four years too late,” Harrison said in Dement’s direction with a smile Wednesday morning.
Almost immediately, the Patriots began to see the impact Dement was about to make.
“We knew we had a good one about the second day of pads in spring when he lit somebody up,” Harrison said. “I said, ‘OK. That’ll work.’”
Work it did for Dement and Heritage Academy. The senior was effective on both sides of the ball all season and was rewarded with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Howard in the Nov. 19 title game.
“That meant a lot,” Dement said of the victory. “That’s why you play high school football: to win a state championship. To go out senior year and win it, it couldn’t get any better than that.”
Well, maybe not. On Wednesday, Dement got to live a moment he’d only dreamed about.
“He came over here with the dream of playing college football, so I couldn’t be more excited to see him today with that dream coming to culmination,” Harrison said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.