Mercer will wind up the football season Saturday when the team travels to Wofford.
One Macon native's name keeps popping up on the highlight reel.
Tyler Ward had a dream, and he's living it every weekend when he puts on the orange and black.
"It's always when you win a state championship, but winning back-to-back is a bonus."
That's from spring of 2013 when Tattnall and Tyler Ward hoisted the trophy on the diamond.
But Ward, who made the GISA AAA All State baseball team, had to make a decision.
"I was going to play college football somewhere. I loved baseball and I took advantage in high school, but I knew I had to make a choice and I had to let it go at some point," said Ward.
He had impressive prep numbers, even picking up recognition at the Macon Touchdown Club for his efforts on the gridiron.
And Division One colleges took notice despite the fact that he played in the private school ranks.
Ward said, "People have said, 'You could have gone bigger if you were in the GHSA,' but I don't care. I loved it there and I'm happy where I'm at."
He's at Mercer University making headlines on the defensive line.
"I wound up coming in my own backyard. The dream was I could go anywhere I wanted and I would have gone anywhere across the country and wound up being right here," Ward said.
Head Coach Bobby Lamb says Ward is a thinker. This year, he picked up Southern Conference Academic honors, which means he carries at least a 3.3 in the classroom.
But the former GISA player also has what Lamb says is a motor that won't quit.
The linebacker has hit double digits in quite a few games for the Bears, and that takes a sixth sense on the field.
" I have a lot of instinct, I feel like. Sometimes, I may not go where I'm supposed to go, but my brain just tells me to go somewhere and it works out right," said Ward.
He's humble and almost shy about his talents.
But there's one thing he's really proud about, and it's something that played big into that recruiting decision.
Ward will always live in Mercer history.
"We've got a plaque outside on the field with everyone's name from last year, and it's humbling to think about that your name is always going to be in the stadium. It's an awesome feeling, but we're not satisfied. We want to win the SoCon Championships right here as a start-up program. We want out name nationwide," Ward said.
And as for the dreamer majoring in business management, his thoughts still wander from time to time.
"The dream is to go all-conference and be the leading tackler in the nation for the next three years and after that, nothing is promised."
Sure, the odds of playing professional are pretty steep for anyone, but Ward's beat the numbers game before and persevered to live out his dreams.
