South Mountain football: A young team on the rise with veteran seniors leading the way. Senior captain Devontae Ingram has taken on a leadership role this year and has been instrumental in the first half of the season. And he’s done it all while leading the team with 778 total yards and also being a two-way player.

This is Ingram’s third season as a Jaguar, but the wide receiver and cornerback has been playing football since he was only 5 years old. The Detroit native moved to Arizona four years ago. While his time in high school begins to end, he can look back and see how he has changed and developed.

“I’ve grown a lot as a person, I had a lot of growing pains that turned me into a leader. I didn’t know how to lead at first,” Ingram said. “Sometimes, I was being a leader, sometimes I was being a follower, but I think I separated myself finally and became a leader. I’ve established that now, and everyone knows that, and the respect that I get is good.”

Teammate and co-captain Xavier Palmer explained how Ingram is a leader both on and off the field. “Outside of class, if he sees people doing something they shouldn’t be doing, then he will help stop them and tell them not to do it,” Palmer said. “He tries encouraging our teammates when we are in a bad situation. He’s always trying to coach people up and help them on the sidelines when they are not doing what they are supposed to do.”

In the classroom he goes by Devontae, but on the field there’s only one name to call him: Money. His nickname has stuck since before Ingram had even laced up his cleats for the first time as a Jaguar.

“My first year playing football here, it was a week before our first game and I just had joined the football team. I just had missed the scrimmage and I started practicing," recounted Ingram. 

"I was going up against one of the best receivers on our team, and throughout the whole practice I basically just shut him down. One of my coaches just called me ‘Money’ because I’m always on time when you need me. Need a player in the game, I’ll be there. That’s how I got the nickname."

This season, South Mountain has a sophomore starting quarterback in Amier Boyd. Boyd may be new to the position, but with the help of senior captain he is adjusting nicely. “[Ingram] is always showing good leadership to the younger people,” Boyd said. “Whenever he does the right thing, they will do the right thing too.”

Ingram has spent the first half of the season leading by example and preparing for what comes next. Ingram has begun to receive offers from colleges. He has not officially committed to a school yet, but he does look forward to the future.

“I don’t really know what to expect but I know college is going to be a lot harder,” Ingram said. “I try to do the best at everything I am doing so I can be prepared.”