Carr’s slow start didn’t last long, produced record season
There’s a long legacy of greatness on the athletic fields and courts in Graniteville, and the name attached to it is Carr. Several athletes with that last name have carried various Midland Valley sports teams to varying levels of success. The latest to etch his name in the record books with the others is running back Dre’Kwon Carr.
For a couple of seasons, he didn’t play much because his brother Dre’ Carr was the lead back, and Dre’Kwon couldn’t beat him out for the job. With Dre’, the area’s leading rusher in 2014 graduating last year, it appeared Dre’Kwon would get his opportunity, but there were still questions.
Midland Valley coach Rick Knight and his staff knew Dre’Kwon had the talent – Knight has often said that his star should be on American Ninja Warrior, a television show with athletes taking on difficult obstacle courses. The 5-foot-7, 170 pound running back can squat 435 pounds and deadlift 615 pounds. The question going into the season was, would that athleticism translate into success on the football field?
Dre’Kwon answered that question with 2,002 yards on 314 carries and 17 touchdowns, surpassing his brother and everyone else in school history.
“He can fly. He’s extremely strong leg-wise and so on,” Knight said. “He’s just crazy enough to think nobody’s going to hurt him our there. He’s been the difference in being able to run it while Daniel – (Carr) his cousin – finds people.”
Adding to the slight uncertainty about the running game for Knight was Dre’Kwon’s early season fumbling problems and a slow start to the season.
Through four games this season, Dre’Kwon had 269 yards and three touchdowns. Then he shifted it into high gear and has run for more than 100 yards and at least one score in every game since. He has been a threat to break a big run at any moment, but the timeliness of his long touchdowns is what has made them even more impressive to his teammates and has Knight running out of ways to describe his star back. In the region opener against Gilbert – the game that started Midland Valley’s nine-game win streak – Dre’Kwon took over in the fourth quarter breaking open a game tied at 16 with a pair of touchdown runs on back-to-back drives. The second of which was a 64-yard score on which he was never touched by a defender. That 251-yard rushing performance that night led to his head coach to compare him to a cat.
“He always seems to land on his feet,” Knight said back in October. “He amazes us in the weight room and in places walking up walls and flipping.”
Three weeks later, Midland Valley took on an unbeaten Airport on the road, and Dre’Kwon changed the complexion of the game and the region standings with two touches. With his team down 14-13, he broke loose for a 69-yard touchdown run with 56 seconds left in the first half. That was followed by a 65-yard run on his next carry to open the second half. He was left speechless by the performance after the 237 yards put him over the 1,000-yard mark for the season.
Dre’Kwon put the team on his shoulders again in a tie ballgame with Aiken to close the regular season when his 70-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter gave the Mustangs’ a Region 5-AAA title.
The playoffs just meant taking it up another notch for Dre’Kwon. In the team’s four playoff games, he is averaging 184.5 yards per game and has six touchdowns. Once again, his biggest run came just when the Mustangs needed it most. He outran the defense on a 64-yard touchdown run down the right sideline to give Midland Valley a 14-7 lead going into halftime. The Mustangs never surrendered that lead.
Through it all, Dre’Kwon credits his offensive line and receivers for a large part of his success. The offensive line consists of all seniors and have paved the way for Dre’Kwon and Daniel’s big performances this year.
“The only thing I can say to my line is that I love them, and I appreciate all the hard work and blood and sweat they put in to help get my yards and help the team all together,” Dre’Kwon said.
This story was originally published December 10, 2015 at 9:14 PM with the headline "Carr’s slow start didn’t last long, produced record season."