Kade Heaton became the Hawks’ all-time leading passer in just his junior season and seemed poised to leave his mark all over the Greenwood Christian School record book. Then, during the 2024 baseball season, the unthinkable happened: Heaton hurt his throwing shoulder.
Coming into the 2024 season, Hawks head coach Will Rooney wanted to see Heaton battle with sophomore phenom Leland Reed for the starting quarterback job. Heaton’s injury forced him to rethink his strategy. Heaton is still one of the best athletes on the field and so Rooney did what he had to do. He inserted Reed as his quarterback and started finding other creative ways to get the ball in Heaton’s hands.
“It sucked when I learned I couldn’t play quarterback, but it’s all a part of God’s plan,” said Heaton. “I had all the confidence in the world in Leland (Reed) when we first started, and I still do. He has done really good for us.”
Even given Reed’s obvious talent, you would still expect a drop-off in quarterback play when you go from a record-setter to a first-time starter, but that drop-off has been nearly nonexistent for the Hawks. Reed has been impressive through the first half of the season, guiding Greenwood Christian to a 3-2 record with impressive wins over Eau Claire, Calhoun Falls, and Whitmire.
Through five games, Reed has completed 55 percent of his passes for 711 yards and 10 touchdowns and has rushed for 165 yards and four touchdowns. Heaton, now playing running back, wideout and defensive back, has racked up 159 yards on the ground and 96 yards receiving. According to Rooney, he could not be more proud of his two stars.
“It wasn’t ideal, but it’s ultimately been what’s best for our team,” said Rooney of his squad’s quarterback situation. “Leland (Reed) and Kade (Heaton) are both too good to keep off the field. I really hate that Kade’s senior year has gone this way from that perspective, but that just makes me more proud of how he has stepped up in other areas on and off the field.”
Despite Reed’s early success at quarterback, his character off the field speaks far louder than his play on the field. Following Greenwood Christian’s game against Calhoun Falls, where Reed was sacked zero times, he bought Smoothie King smoothies for the entire Hawks offensive line. Reed continued the tradition after the win over Whitmire, this time with Little Caesars pizza. When you ask Rooney, actions like that perfectly describe Reed’s character.
“There is not a single person that has a bad thing to say about Leland Reed,” Rooney said of his young quarterback. “Doing those kinds of things at such a young age just shows you his character and the kind of kid he is.”
While football is currently where they are displaying their talents, both Reed and Heaton make an impact playing other sports. Reed plays basketball, while both Heaton and Reed are key pieces of the Hawks’ baseball program. Despite the football field taking up the bulk of his time, Reed insists that playing basketball and baseball benefit him on the football turf.
“Playing multiple sports really benefits me in everything I play,” said Reed. “I’ve gotten so much stronger and faster from going to all of the different workouts each sport has to offer.”
On Friday, the Hawks have their biggest matchup of the season thus far against Orangeburg Prep, a team that Greenwood Christian has never beaten. However, Rooney has instilled a new “will to win” mentality in his squad, and, according to Reed, that is exactly what pushes him to be successful.
“I just love to work. I want to push myself as hard as I can every day,” said Reed. “The main thing is I just want to win. I’m willing to do anything to get to that next level.”