By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
CENTRE – Cherokee County High School senior running back Keyshawn Woods spent a little time reflecting on his high school football career Wednesday morning.
As part of that reflection, Woods was looking at some pictures taken during the past few years.
“I was always with the kids,” Woods said of the photos he looked at. “They had Warrior jerseys on with No. 6 (Woods’ number) on them. They had them custom made.”
There are plenty of reasons why the next generation of Warriors look up to Woods. Not only is he a very talented athlete, but he also has a bright personality they gravitate toward.
Shorter University gravitated toward Woods as well.
After leading all rushers in Cherokee County with 2,255 yards on 278 carries with 22 touchdowns last season, the Hawks offered him a scholarship. Woods signed it on Wednesday in the school gym.
Woods is hoping he can do for Shorter what he did for the Warriors.
“It’s bittersweet,” Woods said. “I’m going to miss the community and all the kids here, but now I get to go somewhere else and do the exact same thing. It just feels like home – the work ethic there, the coaches. They make sure to build you by Christ. They build you to be a man, and I really like that.”
Woods’ position coach at Cherokee County High School, Josh Decker, said he knows Woods will be a “great ambassador” for the Warriors.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever spent more one-on-one time with a player than Key. We got him when he was a young one,” Decker said. “From day one, I knew he wanted to come in and work and get better.
“One thing about Keyshawn is throughout four years, the only thing I ever heard from him was ‘Yes sir.’ I think that’s a testament to the type kid he is. A couple of times we had moments of disagreement and saw things differently, but we come to understand each other a lot. It was a very good relationship and I look forward to continuing that. I couldn’t be prouder of him. We’re excited to watch him and wish him the best of luck.”
As Decker alluded, Woods worked his way up the running back ladder at Cherokee County, a list that included Warrior greats like Jacob Cornejo, Jack Amos, Tae Diamond, and Tristan Brown.
Woods said it wasn’t always easy to wait his turn with all the talent in front of him, but when his turn came, he took full advantage of it and made a name for himself.
“I just kept my head up,” Woods said. “Coming up as a 10th grader who got pulled up, we had the running back of the year in Jacob (Cornejo), Jack (Amos), Tae (Diamond), Tristan (Brown), even CJ Boone, all those guys could run the ball. At times, I was like ‘Why not me?’ But I knew if I took lessons from them that one day it was going to be my turn. It finally got there, and I thank the Lord for that.”
Woods said he had what he calls a “quit tomorrow” mentality.
“Some days you don’t feel like getting up to do it. Some days are just too hard, but you know, I always told myself quit tomorrow,” he said. “You can complain and gripe, but if you’ve got that quit tomorrow mentality, like you’re never going to quit, then you can get the job done.”
That “quit tomorrow” mentality has served Woods well.
“It’s been a long ride,” he said. “But I just kept getting better and better throughout the years, and now, where I’m at is a blessing.”
