It could’ve been another Thursday afternoon at the neighborhood barber shop.
Marquis Woodard was giving Kevin Owens a taper haircut in one chair.
Timothy Brice was giving Darius Peterson a fade haircut in another.
Chance Corey and Aaron Humphries awaited their turns nearby.
But this isn’t your corner barbershop.
It’s Southeast High’s Legends Lounge.
A refurbished shower room adjacent to the Seminoles’ football locker room, it’s furnished with a comfy couch and chairs along with the barber chairs.
On the far wall is a large circular logo that reads, “Welcome to the Legends Lounge Barber Shop. Established 2025.”
On another wall is a poster, trumpeting the Noles’ 1993 unbeaten (15-0) state champions with a centerpiece photo of quarterback John Reeves hoisting
the prized FHSAA Class 4A trophy in Daytona Beach with center Brett Harton, running back Dyral McMillan and Head Coach Paul Maechtle among those beaming under the big bold headline:
PERFECT.
Atop a coffee table in front of the couch sits an autographed orange Noles helmet along with some of Athletic Director Matt Kitchie’s collection of souvenir sports sections.
And, oh yeah, despite the working floor fans, there’s the faintly funky aroma of “Eau de football locker room” from around the corner.
“Hey, we’re trying,” joked head football coach Curt Bradley.
Yes, they are.
And it’s a much appreciated refuge for the Noles while trying to get off the slump of an 0-5 start.
“Getting a haircut here, you’re with your brothers, your teammates,” said Corey, a senior safety. “We come in here, talk about what we can do better. This room helps.”
Owens agreed.
“It helps bring us together, learn more about each other, teammates talking to each other about getting better,” said the junior defensive end. “We get to know the barbers, too, and why they do this good deed for us.”
Former Seminoles don't forget alma mater
Woodard and Brice were happy to oblige.
Professional barbers are former Noles players, they share an enduring affinity for Southeast.
“It’s really special, Coach Bradley bringing everything together — the past and the present,” said Woodard, a former defensive lineman, 2004 alum and barber for 17 years. “I’m glad I’m part of it.”
So is Brice, a former ’Noles’ safety, 2011 alum and barber for five years.
Southeast is family.
His mom, Sandy Waiters, played hoops at Southeast.
His uncle, Josh Waiters, was an All-State defensive back on the Noles team that reached the ’98 Class 6A state championship game against Miami Northwestern.
Another uncle, Cornelius Watkins, also played football here.
And nephew Maurice Bell is a varsity Noles wideout.
“When I played, it was always, ‘Who was before us?’ ” said Brice, mentioning his cousin, Mike Jenkins, as well as the legendary Peter Warrick and Faron Hornes. “There’s a standard playing at Southeast.”
Bradley respects that.
The former Class 7A Coach of the Year was coming off a successful 12-year run at Braden River when he took on the challenge of resurrecting Southeast’s football program in 2024. He was keenly aware of the ’Noles’ history, particularly under Maechtle’s storied 33-year coaching career.
“This school has a rich tradition, a lot of pride,” Bradley said. “What they did in the mid-90s? Anytime you win a state championship (’93) and then another (’94)? It doesn’t matter what year it is. It should be honored.”
The Legends Lounge is born
But how to get these current ’Noles, when they’re off the practice field, to connect to and build on program history that took place before they were born and help develop team chemistry of their own?
Bradley put a plan in motion after his first season at Southeast.
“We spent a lot of time brainstorming, coming up with things we can do,” he said.
“Well, we use the showers in the new gym after practice and we had this huge shower area that wasn’t used a lot. We’re like, what can we do with it?
“During the season, the kids have early mornings, late nights and haircuts are expensive. This is a Title 1 school. It’s all about helping the kids, so how can we do that? We came up with a barber shop and called it the Legends Lounge.
“It’s a good place for the kids to hang out, a chance for coaches, kids and former players to spend time together and shoot the breeze on Thursdays. That’s when we have our regular walkthroughs and the kids are waiting around for the JV game at 6 (p.m.) anyway.”
Alumni, faculty and Bradley’s coaches helped bring it to fruition.
Track Coach Teresa Gavin donated the barber chairs, Michael Perez, a former administrator, donated the couch, accompanying chairs and coffee table, and assistant coach Akil Benjamin got the glass company he works for to donate the room-length mirror.
Digital Design teacher Casey Fabianski did the logo, which Bradley designed, along with the state championship poster from Kitchie.
Fabianski and Bradley repainted the room, too.
As for getting the barbers to make it go?
“We reached out to alumni who are barbers and would they like to be a part of it?” Bradley said. “Bring back some of those guys, give the kids a good haircut and tell old Southeast stories, try to help them understand what it used to be like around here. Give them a little taste of history.
“That’s important to those guys, too. Somebody helped them when they were here and now they’re giving back.”
Along with fellow Southeast alum and barber Julius Perry, they work their barber skills on a handful of players who rotate every week as necessary.
“This is very cool, a new pathway with the athletes we have here,” Woodard said. “It’s an opportunity for them to come in here, talk football, and it’s an opportunity I’m glad I got. I played with some pros — Rod Harper (Packers, Saints, Eagles) and Mike Jenkins (Cowboys, Raiders, Bucs, Cardinals) — and to have these kids in the same locker room as those Southeast legends, they get that.”
Along with a cool haircut.
“Some of them want taper fades, Philly fades… ” he said, chuckling. “They’re giving us a new trend in styles.”
Brice laughed, too.
“Nowadays a lot of kids like to get their sideburns faded, a low taper,” he said.
“It’s different from when I was here.”
Seminoles history remains alive in the chair
What has not changed, though, is the abiding regard in the community for Noles football history.
Brice remembers it from his own playing days at Southeast.
“Hearing those names, watching film on them with Coach Maechtle. It set the standard for the program. Me being here with these younger guys, they’re interested in who played, what positions, how much of an impact those players made. They understand the legacy.”
Peterson nodded at the poster.
“Seeing those championships, all those great players, it’s pretty cool,” he said.
“We feel it,” Corey added. “That inspires you.”
Unfortunately, the Noles did not have a W their first five games to show for it.
Bradley pulled no punches.
“We have good players, but we’re just not a good team right now,” he said. “No excuses on our end. We have to get the job done.”
Southeast graduated 26 seniors from last season’s 8-2 squad that just missed the state playoffs. And this year’s squad has several new starters in addition to eight transfers on a 48-player roster.
Humphries is one of those transfers. A senior tight end who came from Braden River, he appreciates the place the Legends Lounge plays in his transition.
“When I first saw it online, I thought, that’s cool. In high school? Nobody else has it,” he said. “When I first got here, everyone was nice to me, they were cool, and this helps me fit in, definitely. We communicate more and talk about what we can work on to get better as a team.”
Gazing around the busy Legends Lounge, Bradley’s counting on it.
“We’re trying to mesh, figure it all out and the best way to do it is to learn how to trust people, spend time around them without whistles blowing, get to know them a little bit, just be together.
“The best teams are the closest teams, so we’ve got to try and speed up that process a little bit.”
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Legends Lounge connects Southeast football players to program's past
