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ECHS’ college-bound athletes bask in morning celebration
ECHS college-bound athletes
Effingham County High School celebrated 16 athletes who are committed to a college athletic program in the fall. In the front row (left to right): Te'andre Watkins (football, South Georgia State), Kevin Garcia (lacrosse, Point University), Joseph Esco (cross country, Georgia Southwestern), Xylia Hannon (softball, Paine College), Kyjana Jordan (basketball, Motlow State), DJ Bartley (football, Hardeeville Vikings), Damion Gordon (football, St. Mary), and Joseph Polite (football, West Georgia). Top row, (left to right): Q King (baseball, LaGrange), Jordan Tarver (softball, Fort Valley), Cory Dekle (track, Augusta University), Dakarai Walker (track, Columbus State), Dylan Huntley (baseball, South Georgia State), Luke Edwards (Valdosta State), Wesley Ward (Thomas University) and Jordan Kimble (football, Cisco College). (Donald Heath for the Effingham Herald.)

By Donald Heath

Special for the Effingham Herald


SPRINGFIELD – Sixteen Effingham County High School athletes, headed all across the country to play sports at the next level, received a sendoff celebration in front of their classmates Friday morning in the school gym.

“It shows we had a good senior class of athletes,” Rebels athletic director Jake Darling said. “I think their coaches were excited to develop them and they accepted the coaching and this is the result. It took them to the next level.”

ECHS football program was well-represented Friday. The team’s seniors made appearances in the state playoffs in all four years. Defensive lineman Joseph Polite, who will be headed to the University of West Georgia, led the Rebel honorees.

Safety Damion Gordon chose the University of St. Mary – an NAIA school in Kansas. Running back Te’andre Watkins will stay close to home at South Georgia State and DJ Bartley, a safety, will attend a college prep school, the Hardeeville Vikings in South Carolina.

Lineman Jordan Kimble will play at Cisco College, a junior college in Texas.

ECHS’ baseball team, just off an Elite Eight appearance at the Class 5A state championships, has four players taking their swings or making their pitches at college success.

Luke Edwards, the Region 1-5A North Pitcher of the Year, inked with Valdosta State and first-team all-subregion center fielder Q King headed to LaGrange College.

Pitcher Dylan Huntley, who missed most of his senior season with an injury, will play at South Georgia State and another righthander Wesley Ward, an all-region performer in 2024, heads to Thomas University in Thomasville.

Kyjana Jordan, the subregion’s Offensive Player of the Year, will represent the Rebels girls’ basketball program at Motlow State Community College, a junior college in Lynchburg, Tenn.

ECHS’ softball program sends outfielders Xylia Hannon and Jordan Tarver to Paine College and Fort Valley State, respectively.

Sprinter Dakarai Walker, who holds the school’s 200-meter dash record at 20.93, will run at Columbus State University. Teammate Cory Dekle, who advanced to Sectionals, will compete at Augusta University.

Long distance runner Joseph Esco, who has the school record in the 1600 at 4:33.09, heads to Georgia Southwestern for cross country.

And Kevin Garcia will play lacrosse at Point University, a Christian university in West Point, Georgia.