QB Xavier Means embraces the pressure after taking over Northwestern’s title-winning team
Xavier Means is motivated by a feeling.
Moments after defeating the Spartanburg Vikings, 39-7, the newly anointed quarterback hopped on the bus. The ride back to Rock Hill was 90 minutes, but it didn’t matter how long it was.
All the windows were down as the white bus cruised down I-85. Players celebrated behind Yung Gravy tracks selected by the coaching staff. Means didn’t care much for the music. He prefers NBA YoungBoy or Drake. Still, everyone was having fun.
The celebration lasted for about 30 minutes before the fatigue of a season opener set in. Means slept the rest of the way, but he’s still thinking about the drive home days later.
“We were very hype,” Means said. “I know that feeling of getting a win. I want to feel that all season.”
Sure, it’s the first taste of a win, but it’s also the first taste of relief. After spending two seasons on JV, the junior was handed the keys to Northwestern’s varsity squad, a team fresh off an undefeated 5A Division II state championship season. And Means, who still sports braces and tips the scale at 155 pounds, felt the expectations. Northwestern is ranked the fifth-best team in the Carolinas. Anything less than a second straight title will be seen as a failure, and he knows it.
All of it is what made the offseason so difficult.
“I feel a lot of pressure, definitely after winning state,” Means said. “(During) summer practice, I felt pressure. I felt like I had to be perfect every practice to meet the standard.”
He was hard on himself when he messed up a play. Bad practices weren’t just bad practices, but a reminder that he’s a young, less experienced player with the program on his shoulders.
Means had to turn to a veteran, someone who knew that pressure well. He leaned on quarterback Finley Polk, who helped the Trojans win the title in December.
“Finley helped me a lot last year (and) throughout the year,” Means said. “Every time, if I had a bad practice, he’ll pick me right up, say it’s OK.”
The former quarterback helped Means develop what he likes to call the “So what? Now what?” mentality. As the season inched closer, mistakes became easier to process. He bounced back more quickly from poor displays. He learned it’s all part of the process.
Means felt ready by the time he stepped on the bus. The 90-minute trip to Spartanburg began. He made sure to eat. He listened to his preferred music and visualized the game. He thought about what plays he was going to make. He imagined throwing the ball to his receivers and making the right reads. He pictured everything that would lead to a win.
But the first-time varsity starter didn’t imagine the speed of the game, or the crowd or the sounds. He threw an incomplete pass to a wide-open receiver on the opening drive.
“I had to get him,” Means said. “I knew I had to lock in, and I just had to do my job.”
The entire offense calmed him down. He had to stop thinking about the pressure and push through the play and get to the next one. So what? Now what?
He listened to the music the Vikings played. He didn’t let the noise overwhelm him.
“It didn’t scare me, but it really pumped me up,” Means said. “I was getting excited to play.”
The game he visualized started to become a reality. Means threw for 163 yards and completed 76% of his passes. He rushed for another 48 yards, and found the end zone once. It was a blowout.
His only expectation for the game was to win, and he accomplished that. So, when he went back on the bus, mayhem ensued.
Means returned to Rock Hill, and the next game week began. He watches film — something new added to his regimen — and lifts weights. He’ll practice and not worry about the bad plays. Still, the ultimate goal is at the forefront of his mind.
“Really, it’s win state,” Means said. “That’s it.”
But Means has learned not to let it consume him. He files the pressure into the day-to-day. He knows not to chase the feeling. He’s content waiting for it.
