Sumter – The 2023 football season didn’t end quite the way head coach Roosevelt Nelson had hoped for his Crestwood High School football team. However, it was a tremendous season for the Knights, their best in over a decade.
“I really do think we had a tremendous season,” said Nelson, whose team finished the season with an 11-2 record and reached the third round of the AAA state playoffs. “I’m very proud of these young men, the work they put in, all of their work and sacrifice. I told them after the game (a 53-27 loss to Brookland-Cayce in the third round) that they had nothing to hold their heads down for. They just had a great season.”
Crestwood had five goals set at the start of the season, and the only won it didn’t reach was winning the state championship. The other four were win the season opener (a 49-21 win over Richland Northeast), beat Sumter School District rival Sumter (a 27-21 double-overtime win), beat its other Sumter School District rival Lakewood (a 56-0 win) and win the Region 6 championship.
The Knights accomplished that by beating Camden 34-28 to finish 5-0 in region play. The Bulldogs had won four straight region titles and the loss snapped an 18-game winning streak in Region 6.
Nelson was named the Region Coach of the Year, and he was able to accomplish that because of the talent he had developed on the team.
There were eight CHS players named to the All-Region 6 team, led by senior quarterback Javion Martin, who was named the Region Player of the Year. A 4-year starter who was picked to play in the Shrine Bowl, Martin completed 149 of 235 passes for 2,554 yards and 21 touchdowns against just five interceptions. He also rushed for 427 yards and 13 TDs on just 59 carries.
Senior linebacker Seneca Moore was named the Region Defensive Player of the Year. Moore, who was selected to play in the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl, had 68 tackles, 27 of them tackles for loss and nine of them quarterback sacks. He also had 12 quarterback pressures, six forced fumbles and two blocked punts. Offensively, Moore had 19 carries for 196 yards and six TDs.
The other All-Region selections were senior cornerback Khalil Moody, senior linebacker Brandon Cowell, senior running back Azarian Yates, senior defensive end Javion Lammie, senior offensive guard Armante Bradford and junior wide receiver Jeremie Richardson.
Moody, who was also selected to play in the Touchstone Energy Bowl, had 44 tackles, 29 of them solo, three interceptions, nine pass breakups, one sack and one blocked field goal. He also had 879 all-purpose yards, five touchdown catches and one kickoff return for a score.
Cowell had 87 tackles, one INT, four sacks, four QBPs, one PBU, one FF and one fumble recovery TD return. Lammie had 57 tackles, 21 TFLs, 17 QBPs, one PBU and one FF.
Yates led Crestwood in rushing with 1,365 yards and 29 touchdowns on 208 carries. He also had 15 catches for 198 yards and another TD. Bradford was helping open holes for Yates, grading out at 86 percent with 11 knockdown blocks. Richardson was the leading receiver with 49 catches for 946 yards and six TDs.
Honorable mention selections for the All-Region team were offensive lineman Connor Speller-Snell, offensive lineman Aidan Mack, wide receivers Jaheim Jones and Kyle Mitchell, linebacker Robert Pugh, strong safety Da’Shan Scriven, offensive lineman Donald Kegler and cornerback Ladamien Belton.
The Knights will be losing 22 seniors. Nelson said it was truly a team effort that led to their success.
“We did a great job of playing together,” he said. “They enjoyed each other and playing as a team. We were not having to worry about one person getting the accolades or the awards. We had a great group of talented athletes.”
3 OTHER KNIGHTS MAKE ALL-REGION TEAMS
Na’Laya Singleton and Laniya Rouse were selected to the All-Region 6 volleyball team, while Xavier Meares made the All-Region boys cross country team.
All Rights Reserved | The High School Sports Report 1986-2021