This story was featured in the 2015 edition of the Times-Journal’s Gridiron football magazine.

By Justin Fedich | Selma Times-Journal

At 9 p.m., most people are winding down their day, watching television or even getting ready for bed. Morgan Academy’s JR Wood isn’t most people.

For Wood, 9 p.m. sounds like a perfect time to get in one more workout in for the day.

Wood is a 222-pound senior linebacker for the Senators’ varsity football team who is best known for his hard work ethic, his leadership on the field and his ability to squat two-and-a-half times his weight.

In ninth grade, Wood was already playing on the big stage with the varsity football team, but he still felt small. He didn’t like the idea of someone being bigger and stronger than he was.

“He was kind of pushed around and I don’t think he liked that so he wanted to be one of the bigger badder guys,” said longtime friend and teammate Jackson Henderson.

That’s when everything clicked for Wood. During his first practice with the varsity team as a freshman, he decided he wanted to start seriously lifting weights. He wanted to be the one pushing other kids around.

“I’ve gotta get bigger, I’ve gotta get more strength, I’ve gotta get more size so I can get through there and punish them,” Wood said.

That’s also the moment when Wood decided he wanted to play college football. He’s less than a year away from making that dream a reality.

Four colleges already have their eyes on Wood. He doesn’t plan on losing their interest anytime soon.

“I know his main goal is to be a college football player so I feel like that’s his main priority is get as big as he can so there’s no way that colleges can turn him down,” Henderson said.

Wood doesn’t only work out to be a stronger football player, but also to be less susceptible to injury. He said if he hadn’t been powerlifting, he would have broken an ankle last season. Instead, it turned out to be a high ankle sprain that only kept him out part of the season.

Morgan quarterback Harrison Adams has been playing football with Wood since early grade school. While Adams doesn’t always love getting texts at 9 p.m. encouraging him to workout, he loves the intensity and leadership Wood brings to the team.

“I know if J.R. is bringing it, then I’ve got to bring it too because he’s the defensive side of the ball’s leader and I try to be the offensive side of the ball’s leader,” Adams said.

Wood’s decision to start powerlifting has sent ripple effects throughout the Morgan locker room. While not everyone on the football team can squat 565 pounds and bench 300 pounds, others have seen gains in the weight room as a result of Wood’s powerlifting.

“I started working out a lot and started getting big gains out of it and the players noticed and it’s kind of affected them to where they want to do it,” Wood said.

While Wood has been lifting weights since middle school, he is still seeing gains off of his effort. Morgan head coach Jake Wingo hasn’t been with the program for much longer than a year, but he has already seen the positive changes Wood has made.

“He’s transformed himself,” Wingo said. “Even when I got here over a year ago, in the last year and a half, he has come so far. He gained weight. He’s gotten faster and so much stronger in everything.”

Wood is preparing to play football in college, but he also plays baseball and wants to try field events in track and field this season.

Wood is also planning on defending his state title in powerlifting in the 220-pound class. He doesn’t plan on anyone stopping him this year.

Given how hard Wood works in the weight room from dusk until way past dawn, it’s not likely anyone will.

“You’re never going to have to tell him to give more because he’s always giving what he’s got,” Adams said.