INDIANAPOLIS — Deyshawn Bond's football career came full circle as he stepped off the Indianapolis Colts' team bus Saturday afternoon.
Bond is an alum of Warren Central High School, which was the site of the Colts' sixth training camp practice of the summer on Saturday, and the experience definitely brought back plenty of memories for the rookie offensive lineman, who was greeted by several current Warrior players upon his arrival.
"Oh, it's awesome," Bond said of returning to his roots. "Just being in this atmosphere is a blessing. Just knowing that I'm here in front of the Warrior Nation just brings joy to my heart. I just love being out here with my guys in front of Warrior Nation."
Warren Central has featured one of the better high school football programs in the Midwest for years, going back to the mid-1980s, when another future Colts player, quarterback Jeff George, led the Warriors to back-to-back state titles.
Bond was a freshman when Warren Central captured the 2009 Class 5A state championship, and was eager to show off his alma mater's athletic facilities — which includes a very impressive football stadium featuring a full fieldturf playing surface and a three-story press box — as well as its passionate fanbase on Saturday.
"I was just telling them and bragging a little bit about Warrior Nation," Bond said. "It is just a great atmosphere. Just being out here in front of everybody and just seeing how the fans just root you on and just as a family coming out here and getting back together. Just showing love to the team. (I was) telling them how great of an atmosphere it is."
Jack Doyle is certainly well aware of the Warren Central football aura.
Doyle, the Colts' No. 1 tight end, grew up just minutes from the Warren Central campus in eastern Indianapolis, and while he would eventually decide to attend Cathedral High School, he knew what a test it always was to take on the Warriors.
"I know about the Warrior Nation because back when I was in high school you did not want Warren on Friday nights. They were tough," he said. "Like I said, it is fun to be back in the atmosphere of a little bit of high school football. It brings you back and takes you back to what makes high school football fun."
Doyle actually credited the Colts with playing a huge role in the recent rise in the quality of play across high school football in Indiana. The franchise moved to Indianapolis in the mid-1980s, and became an NFL powerhouse in the early-2000s, eventually turning into the winningest team in a decade in league history.
Doyle appreciated being around the city during that period of success for the organization, and certainly hopes to get it back to that point soon.
"The Colts were winning and that made high school football in Indiana popular," he said. "It's cool to kind of try and help that and keep building that by being members of the Colts now. It is a cool thing to think about."
The analysis from those producing content on Colts.com does not necessarily represent the thoughts of the Indianapolis Colts organization. Any conjecture, analysis or opinions formed by Colts.com content creators is not based on inside knowledge gained from team officials, players or staff.
