Crestwood's Epps runs wild on way to Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week

Crestwood sophomore Darrell "Shiloh" Epps has worn a lot of different hats for the Knights this fall. Offensively, he's bounced between wide receiver and running back throughout his first varsity season but was told heading into the regular season finale against Lakewood that he was going to be needed in the backfield.

The sophomore ran with the opportunity.

Epps set up a permanent residency in the end zone in the Knights' blowout win, scoring four times while rushing for 137 yards. His effort also earned the sophomore recognition as the Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week.

"It felt good," Epps said of the recognition. "I didn't like the loss the week before, so I came in fired up. I practiced hard all week ready to go and told the O-line good job every time I scored."

CHS head coach Roosevelt Nelson has been impressed by the way Epps has carried himself all season long, so he was glad to see the young standout reap the rewards against Lakewood.

"We tried to make sure we got him some touches out there; it's long overdue for him," Nelson said. "He had a really good first year on varsity for us. I'm not really necessarily surprised about it. He's a great individual, a hard-working kid. He's probably one of the hardest workers we've got in the program with the way he approaches the game. He's a phenomenal individual, a great student and is very coachable. I was very proud of the game he had last week."

Epps has been an impact player during his first season on varsity, but the win over Lakewood proved to be his breakout. He finished the year with 389 rushing yards and six scores while adding 241 yards and four touchdowns through the air. Epps also serves as the Knights' primary kick and punt returner, bringing his total yardage to 990 on the season, to which Nelson joked, "He couldn't get 10 more yards?" Still, Epps appreciated the opportunity to make a splash right before the start of the postseason.

"It felt really good. If I can carry that momentum into the playoffs, I think we can go a long way," Epps said.

Epps earned the chance to do a little bit of everything for the Knights and ran with the opportunity.

"He's processing a lot of things; we've got him playing a lot of positions. He's doing a good job with it," Nelson said. "A lot of kids can't handle the workload he's getting, playing running back and receiver, and also the special teams game. He's a couple years ahead of schedule."

Nelson expects to see his young standout carry some great momentum into the postseason.

"That's a really good thing for our team, for a kid to come out and have the game he had last week," Nelson said. "It posed another opportunity to put something else on film that teams have to worry about game planning for someone like him."

The Crestwood offense has evolved throughout the season, especially with their ability to throw the football at times this fall. Epps has been a great complement to CJ Wofford in the backfield, as both rushers surpassed 125 yards in the win over Lakewood. Wofford as been the anchor of the offense with 1,837 all-purpose yards and 18 touchdowns, and younger standouts like Epps and Chance Mack have made CHS even more dynamic on that side of the ball.

"It's very dangerous because teams have to game plan for one of us; they can't stop both of us. If one of us isn't hot, the other one comes in to do their job," Epps said. "I love being wherever coach needs me. I like to make plays."