The best student-athletes are those who shine with their commitment and drive every time they take the field. Here in the Lowco, there may be no better example than University of Miami-bound Hilton Head Prep kicker Trevor Weldon.
After he made his last high school kick to give Team Lowco the Blitz Border Bowl title in January, I knew for sure that his next stop would be at the Division I level. But even I was shocked to see Weldon land a spot at one of the most storied programs in the nation, and his dream school as a child.
He could have easily chosen to go for one of his first options on the table and secure his spot at a lower-profile school in a lower division, but just like he has done since he first picked up a football, Weldon never wavered from his goal. With the odds against him in an unprecedented season of recruiting, Trevor’s dream of becoming a Hurricane came true.
But on second thought, maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise. He’s been consistently ranked as one of the state’s top kickers and proved himself at AT&T Stadium in the nationally-televised Blue-Grey Bowl. When Weldon got an opportunity from head coach Dave Adams to give his team three points, he almost always cashed it in. He was simply automatic from extra-point range and connected on 10 of 14 field goals over the season.
It’s rare to see a specialist win a game by himself, but he did just that in a 6-0 home victory over Colleton Prep — a win that springboarded the confidence of a resilient 20-man Dolphin team that delivered a winning season in Adams’ finale. Weldon hit from 45 yards to break the stalemate before one-upping himself with a 50-yard bomb that brought the house down in Sea Pines.
Never have I seen such a talented and determined kicker at the high school level. But there was so much more to his game that proved to be so vital to the Dolphin program over the last few years. He served as the placekicker alongside handling kickoff and punting duties and made his team’s job much easier by pushing the opponent back with routine touchbacks and punts inside the 20-yard-line. An elite kicker and punter is everything at the high school level, especially for a Class 2A SCISA program where some teams won’t even bother kicking extra points.
But Weldon’s impact on the Dolphins went far beyond special teams. When he wasn’t out on the field, he was a key leader and advisor with teammates and the coaching staff. Weldon knew the game as well as anyone out on the field and made sure to relay vital information when his team needed it. He played offense and defense on the scout team anywhere from quarterback to wide receiver to linebacker. He could outwit any high school football player, and his elevated knowledge of the game only helped his teammates improve their craft throughout the season.
Not your typical kicker, Weldon was never afraid to make any play for his team, racking up 11 tackles in his senior year. He was the heart and soul of his Dolphin program, and will be an irreplaceable loss heading into this fall.
There are some players you watch and instantly know how special they could become. I only can say that about a few, like Hilton Head High’s Jaylen Sneed or Whale Branch’s Nick Pringle. But I have a strong feeling that Trevor Weldon is about to write a special story down in South Beach. If he keeps up that drive at the next level, there’s no doubt that he’ll get the chance and seize it when it comes. And if he can take the reins of his job at Miami, he could blaze himself a path to even greater heights.
The Leg of the Lowco is heading to South Beach, and we can’t wait to root him on.
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