Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
By Kevin Spradlin
PeeDeePost.com
* Photo gallery – more than 400 photos
ROCKINGHAM — Keshawn Johnson plays quarterback, his mother said.
And the 7-year-old from Bennettsville, S.C., might soon be ready to take on the likes of NFL linebacker Dannell Ellerbe.
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
Keshawn Johnson, 7, of Bennettsville, S.C., plays quarterback.
“I believe he probably could,” said Kimberley Johnson as she watched her son, wearing bright orange shorts and socks and a Dannell Ellerbe Football Camp T-shirt, go through some conditioning drills Saturday morning at Richmond Senior High School. “At least he would try. He loves to play.”
Approximately 200 boys and girls ages 5 to 17 participated in the four-hour camp. They came from all over and brought to the practice fields a wide range of skill level and ability. There was Keshawn, from nearby Bennettsville. There was Ty Workman, 17, who plays cornerback and wide receiver at his Darlington, S.C., high school. There was J.D. Hogan, 13, of Hamlet, with about one season of experience — but Hogan admitted he was a big fan of Ellerbe.
“I love it,” said spectator Larry Ellerbe, a Rockingham resident and a relative of the NFL linebacker. “It’s great. This is great for the kids.”
Ellerbe brought along a cadre of camp instructors including some from the NFL and college ranks as well as many with ties to the Richmond Raiders football program.
The trend, Larry Ellerbe noticed, was that hard work would pay off.
“No doubt … it’s not gonna come easy,” he said.
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
A younger play gets a lift into the huddle.
