Laurence Manning Academy senior Josh Edwards won’t be too far away from home when he begins college next year.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Swampcat defensive end signed Wednesday to play football for Newberry College, which is only about an hour-and-a-half away from his hometown of Sumter.
“It definitely was in my mind, the closeness to home,” he said. “This way, family can come to the games.”
Edwards was one of two students at the school to sign. Maleke Davis, the Swampcats’ linebacker, will also play football as a Newberry College freshman this fall.
“We actually made the decisions separately,” said Edwards. “It is nice to know that you’ll know someone there going in. We play well together on the team, so that helps, too.”
During his time with the Swampcats, Edwards was a starter at the defensive end position from 2014-16, his sophomore through senior seasons. He was also in the same position for the South Carolina Independent School Association All-State Defensive Team for 2015 and 2016. He was also a 2016 AAA State Strength Champion for the 230-plus Class.
“He had a three-year total of 123 solo tackles, 96 assisted tackles, 32 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, seven forced fumples and four fumble recoveries,” said Athletic Director Robbie Briggs of Edwards’ stats during his three years on the varsity team.
For his part, Edwards said he was proud to be on a team that had made it to the State Championships.
“My sophomore year, we made it all the way to finals,” he said. “We didn’t win it, but we came close, and it was a good experience.”
Edwards said he hopes to bulk up in college, and perhaps switch positions on the field. But he definitely has no problem staying at defensive end. He plans to study forestry and environmental science.
Briggs said Edwards is “just beginning to hit his stride as a player.”
“He is a student of the game and has grown tremendously as a young man in the last three years,” said Briggs. “He will be a force on the football field over the next several years. His best years are ahead of him.”
