Sumter County’s Corderian Leverett senior season began with a bang as they beat their cross-country rival in Crisp County last Friday night. The speedy receiver made the go-ahead touchdown on 4th down with just one minute remaining to give the Panthers a 20-19 victory.
The play was the epitome of clutch. Leverett caught a quick pass out to the sideline and quickly slipped by one tackler, then ducked by another before spinning into the endzone with a gang of tacklers attempting to bring him down. Leverett kept driving his feet, pushing each inch until he was over the pylon and the referee had raised his arms signaling a touchdown.
“It feels great to defeat our rival; knowing the trash they have been saying on social media and they have been beating us for about 10 years straight, so it feels amazing to beat them back-to-back,” Leverett said.
That’s right, Sumter County tagged Crisp County with a 24-15 loss last season, and it exemplifies the program’s upward trajectory under coach William Rogers.
“Everyone keeps counting us out but these last couple of years we have been building brick by brick.” The senior added, “I’ve improved on leadership and discipline and being a great team player.”
Discipline is a keyword here. Sumter County has become a focused well-coached program and has allowed playmakers like Leverett to blossom. For the remainder of the season, Leverett would like to get 1k yards receiving and win a 2A championship.
On the recruiting front, Leverett earned several offers over the summer as he camped at camps across the southeast. With the season now underway, the noise around recruiting has softened to a buzz for now, and Leverett is measuring what to do next.
“I have a of couple schools progressing and reaching out for visits.” He continued to talk about a decision, “Whenever I visit these schools to see where is my best fit and see if I enjoy everything about the school.”
For now, the season is underway, and that seems to be at the top of the attention for Leverett, as he reiterated his goal once more.
“My senior year is to keep working hard every day. I’m focused on winning a ring on this last ride.”
Sumter County is ranked on our site for the time in a while, placing at #10 in 2A. They will host Griffin this upcoming Friday, a game where they will most likely be favored, but those expectations create a new kind of pressure for Sumter County, and leaders like Leverett will need to be active on the field when the waters get rough.
