MIAMI (NEXSTAR) — Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt have been playing football together for a long time. Now, they’re on the biggest stage in the game.
“Man, it’s a movie,” Ward said.
He was the first-round draft pick for the San Francisco 49ers in 2014. They took Tartt in the second round in 2015. Now, they start side-by-side at safety on one of the best defenses in the NFL.
“Once I got drafted on the team, we actually talked about this moment,” Tartt said. “‘Man, we could go to the Super Bowl together. That would be crazy.'”
It’s crazy because of their history: Ward and Tartt played high school football together at W.P. Davidson High School in Mobile, Alabama.
“It’s outstanding to be able to play with somebody from high school,” Ward said, “somebody you’ve known for a long time. The communication and the chemistry is off the roof.”
As you might expect, their team was very good.
“I remember we was a game away from the state championship and we ended up losing, and it was a heartbreaker how we lost,” Ward recalled.
Now, they’re only a win away from being Super Bowl champions.
“Definitely, it would be sweet redemption,” he said. “We got to get it. One more game.”