The Grind presented by Bank of Clarendon: Crestwood's Moody strives for football greatness

Crestwood senior Khalil Moody is pretty singularly driven.

The standout defensive back and wide receiver lives and breathes football. While he also works hard to succeed in the classroom, where he has a 4.2 GPA, most of his attention is focused on the sport he's played his entire life.

That hard work has helped Khalil develop into one of the best cornerbacks in the area. When he's not locking down the opposing team's No. 1 option, he's usually lining up on offense to catch a deep pass from quarterback Javion Martin or returning kicks on special teams.

As Khalil continues to grow on the gridiron, so do the Knights around him. A few years ago, the Knights were fighting to stay above .500. Now they're a playoff contender, the No. 6 ranked team in SCHSL 3A and just beat Sumter High for the first time in a decade.

And he's just getting started.

"He's an NFL athlete," Crestwood defensive backs coach Paris Tindal said of Khalil. "Defensive back, wide receiver, whichever is in the cards, I think he can play on a professional football level. Being around him every day, the kid he is, the characteristics, he's a hard worker, very respectful. He's a sponge, he soaks everything up.

"The thing that would stop him from getting to the NFL is he's such a good student to where he will have so many options, so the NFL isn't a make-or-break deal for him. He might be good enough to go pro, but he could try to do something else in the real world and be successful. He's definitely going to have every option on the table that he wants."

EARLY START

Khalil has been playing football almost as long has he's been able to walk. He picked up the sport around the age of four or five when his family lived in Tennessee. Once he hit the field for the first time, he was hooked.

"I tried baseball and basketball, but I always ended up with football," Khalil said.

A few years later, the Moody family moved to Sumter County. Khalil's mom, Tia, immediately signed him up for Parks and Rec ball. Khalil loved football, but he hadn't quite developed a knack for it yet.

"When he started out, he wasn't that good," Tia joked. "I saw it really click for him in middle school."

By the time he got to Ebenezer, Khalil quickly caught the attention of the coaches at Crestwood.

"He was a stud at wide receiver. He played some safety and some cornerback, but at wide receiver he was like a Megatron type. That's when we first got wind of Khalil, that this kid was real," Paris said. "He got to Crestwood his ninth-grade year and still had a heavy role on offense, still doing the same thing he did in middle school."

By the time Khalil was ready to make the jump to varsity, Crestwood had a pretty full receiver room, so Paris was happy to snag the young Knight for his defensive secondary.

"Going into his sophomore year, we knew we were stacked at receiver with Maki Williams, Nick Fortune, Desmond McMillan," Paris said. "Khalil was good enough to play receiver, but at the cornerback position, he has the length, he has the frame we look for, so let's see if it translates. He's such a heck of an athlete that he just fit right in."

Khalil quickly found a spot in the starting lineup, but it took some getting used to.

"It was a flurry of emotions," Khalil said. "I didn't really know what to expect. The varsity game is way different from a JV level, it's faster, it's more physical. I really wasn't expecting that, so I had to adjust very quickly."

The young Knight made his presence felt right away. He intercepted a pass and swatted away nine more as a sophomore. Paris said that quick development was a testament to his constant need to improve.

"He's the most coachable kid you're ever going to find," Paris said. "He learns quick, and he wants to learn. He'll ask 97 questions at practice. I told him, 'I have to study every night to coach you because I know you're going to ask me 37 questions in practice, so I've got to have every answer.' His work ethic and his skillset allowed us to know it would translate no matter what position he plays."

NO FLY ZONE

Khalil idolizes New York Jets defensive back Sauce Garner at the position. It's a pretty fitting comparison.

As a rookie last year, opposing offenses rarely tested Garner, who went on to win the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year. He didn't fill up the stat sheet because quarterbacks never threw in his direction.

The same can be said of Khalil.

The Crestwood defensive back didn't allow a completed pass into his coverage during his entire junior season. Teams threw in his direction so infrequently that he only had a chance to intercept one pass and bat down three more. Four games into his junior season, he's allowed just two catches, both of which came on screens and combined for 10 yards. In Friday's upset win over Sumter High, the Gamecocks threw his way once. It was intercepted in overtime.

"I started noticing it last year," Khalil said of teams throwing away from him. "Some people tell me to think positively about it. I'm more thinking negatively about it because I'm not really getting no action."

It would be easy to take a play off when the opposing quarterback doesn't even look at your side of the field, but Paris doesn't allow his start corner to get stagnant.

"I'm on him all the time," Paris said. "There may be a time or two where he doesn't play the coverage as hard as I know he could because he knows the ball isn't coming his way. I tell him you have to play every rep as if the ball is coming your way because great corners don't take plays off. The eye in the sky, an offensive coordinator in the booth or the sideline for the other team might see you relax, and that's when they'll take a shot and now if you have 89 good reps, on the 90th rep, he's shot.

"For the most part, he's locked in himself. He doesn't want anyone to get a catch. He gave up one catch on a slant in the scrimmage with Manning. It went for like three yards, and he comes on the sideline to me like, 'Man, I'm slipping.' And I'm like, 'Relax, it's three yards.' He's so football driven, and he wants to be great. He wants everything to be perfect all the time. It's fun to be a part of."

Even if Khalil isn't tested on defense, he finds a way to make an impact.

"To me, I'm just playing my game," Khalil said. "If I don't get to do what I expect to do on defense, I'm gonna do it on offense."

TWO-WAY STAR

Khalil doesn't play full time on offense, but he makes the most of every opportunity.

As a senior, he's caught just four passes. His first three went for long touchdowns. The fourth was a 60-yard gain that set up a score on Friday.

While Khalil is no stranger to the home run ball, he doesn't see himself as the Knights' designated deep threat.

"I personally don't feel like I'm the big play guy. I feel like the big play guy is Jeremie Richardson, but I just try to take advantage of all my opportunities I get on offense," Khalil said. "If it's a deep ball, I'm gonna go score. If they want me to block, I'm gonna block my hardest. If they want me to run a route, run the route my hardest. To do everything I can do in my power to do my best on my part."

It takes a lot of hard work to play both ways, especially if you want to play well on both sides of the ball.

"It takes a ton of hard work, it takes a ton of conditioning, focus, mental toughness. It's hard," Paris said. "The work he's put in on his body and the mental aspect of him learning all the coverages on defense, learning all the plays on defense and then going over to offense in our crossover sessions and learn all the routes and plays on offense. He pushes himself to be great, along with the other guys on the team like Javion, Azarian Yates and Seneca (Moore), they push each other to be great."

Khalil already played both ways, but last year's playoff loss at Beaufort, which saw the Knights lose a 28-10 halftime lead, inspired the CHS star to work even harder to commit his attention to both offense and defense.

"His conditioning, that's a testament to the work he put in this summer," Paris said. "When we walked off the field against Beaufort last year he said, 'My goal is to never have to come off the field next season.' He's put that work in all offseason to do that."

CRAZY JUNIOR YEAR

Khalil had a rollercoaster of a junior season.

After getting out to an excellent start, the Knight was injured just before the start of region play. The initial prognosis was not great.

"They told him he might be out for 6-8 weeks and Khalil told the doctor, 'I'm not going to be out for that long,'" Tia recalled. "The doctors sent him to physical therapy, and they said the same thing and that would've put him out for the rest of the season. He told them he needed to get back on the field at least for the playoffs, that was his goal."

So Khalil worked and worked until he was cleared to play. He missed the final four games of the regular season, but came back just in time to open the playoffs against Aynor. Khalil was still limited, so he only played offense, but he played the best offensive game of his career.

The junior caught five passes for 153 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning score in a 38-30 win, sending the Knights into the second round of the playoffs.

A week later, the Knights traveled to Beaufort for an equally wild game. After leading 28-10 at the half, Crestwood struggled after the break. The Knights turned the ball over and trailed by as many as 10 points. They fought back with a late score but lost 45-42.

The loss still lingers with Khalil.

"I really just wanted to forget that and move on," he said. "We just got sloppy. That second half we got sloppy, we got complacent. We ain't doing that no more."

All of the Knights were propelled forward by that loss. They're determined to go further this year.

"It's a redemption run," Khalil said. "That's the only thing on our mind right now is redemption."

SENIOR SEASON

Khalil is only midway through his senior season, but he's packed in a year's worth of highlights. The Knights have played two of the best games in the state this season. The first was a shootout at Gray Collegiate, the top-ranked team in 2A. Crestwood battled back and forth but fell 62-60.

Khalil had an impressive individual performance. He caught a 74-yard touchdown and returned a kick 95 yards for another touchdown.

"I'm not going to lie, it felt like a college game, a college atmosphere. It was crazy," Khalil said. "It was great competition, too, I really enjoyed that game. Going back and forth, that really has your heart beating. If you're injured, you want to go back out there."

Then on Friday, the Knights finally beat their biggest rival, taking down the Gamecocks 28-21 in double overtime. On top of his 60-yard catch and interception in overtime, Khalil got his hand on Sumter's field goal at the end of regulation that left the game tied at 21-21.

"It meant the world to me because it wasn't just a regular game," Khalil said of the Knight's first victory over SHS since 2013. "To me, it was about respect, redemption, and a last chance to make a statement. I'm glad I could make an impact in such a big game and be able to make my coach proud."

Watching from the stands, Tia was at a loss.

"I was very proud," Tia said. "What I realized about him on Friday was no matter what circumstances are going on in his life, he's going to push through and do what he needs to do. Those plays made me really proud."

FAMILY ENVIRONMENT

One of the reasons Khalil has truly blossomed on the field is the environment he plays in at Crestwood.

He credits the coaching staff that really takes the time to get to know their players on an emotional level, and it starts at the top with head coach Roosevelt Nelson.

"Without my coaches, I probably wouldn't be what I am right now," Khalil said. "Those coaches really have a big impact. Coach Nelson is a great person, somebody I really want to be like when I grow up. An amazing person. All of them are great people. We have one of the best coaching staffs.

"They treat us like we're one of their own, and that's a really big part of this. They don't treat us like we're a football player, they treat us like we're one of their own, and we're a family. If we were to go out, you'd think we're all related by the way we act."

Nelson, a Crestwood alumnus, filled his coaching staff with former players and teammates. He felt it was important to have coaches that know the importance of being a Knight.

"I think I've got seven assistants that I either coached them or played here with. That's a big plus because it means more to them to work with the kids, and they have a full understanding of where our kids come from," Roosevelt said. "Our kids come from a very diverse community here at Crestwood. Some live in a suburban area, some live in a rural area, some are military kids moving in. It's a melting pot for a lot of different backgrounds. Most of my staff can pour into these about being a player at Crestwood High School.

"I want to create a family atmosphere that makes a kid want to be here, want to play here. We hold them accountable. When they're doing something wrong, we're going to make sure it gets corrected. When they do something well, we're going to be the first ones to praise them and make sure we recognize them."

Paris is one of those coaches that played for the Knights when he was in high school. His passion for coaching the next generation is evident anytime you see him.

"We kinda understand exactly what the kids are looking for," Paris said. "We relate directly to the kids. We kinda know the same battles they fight every day, the same struggles that they go through. We just try to give them a safe space they can come to because, honestly, they're with us for most of the day. We try to maximize that time with them to give them a place where they can be themselves and comfortable.

"We definitely pride ourselves with our relationships with our kids. We like to call ourselves a players-first program. We try to figure out what their needs and wants are, and we stay with the times and adapt as things change in the world to make sure we still relate with them."

Tia is thankful his son ended up with the Knights.

"It's been special. That coaching staff is a good support system, they're like a family," Tia said. "I look at the things they do in the community like they take the boys to church, they do community service, they pray. That's valuable to me. Khalil has some really good mentors that help him along the way. He really has a special attachment to them. There have been times where we have thought about maybe moving him somewhere else and he's said, 'No, I need to stay right here.'"

FUTURE ON AND OFF THE FIELD

Khalil wants to continue playing football in college. From an early age, he knew the first step to accomplishing that goal was taking care of business in the classroom.

"If you want to go to the next level, you've got to do your schoolwork," Khalil said. "Schoolwork is very important, I can't stress that enough."

Tia instilled that message into Khalil as soon as she saw him break out on the football field in middle school.

"When he honed in on (football), he expressed that this was something that he wanted to really do, I wanted him to understand that football is there and that can be your passion, but if football doesn't work out, you need something to back that up," Tia said. "With that sport, anything can happen, so we have to have a backup plan. I've always said school is important, and that's also going to be a competitive edge.

"If you're doing what you're supposed to do in school, when these schools come looking for you, they're going to like what they see on the field and in the classroom. It'll be easy to recruit you."

He's got a backup plan in place, too.

"I want to be successful in life," Khalil said. "After high school, I do want to pursue being an orthodontist. Football, I can make it, but I don't got to. I always say have a backup plan, anything can happen."

Khalil has caught the attention of a few programs, so he doesn't have to turn his attention fully to dental work just yet. He has offers from Navy, Wingate, Newberry and The Citadel. Tia has a video of her son receiving his first offer. They were walking through Target when he got the call and an excited Khalil started running around the store. When he circled back to Tia, he mouthed, "I have an offer!"

The school itself wasn't why Khalil was so excited. He just wants to find somewhere to follow his dream.

"It really doesn't matter what college I go to, I just want the football experience and I just want to make a difference there," the Knight said.

Roosevelt thinks he'll make a difference wherever he ends up.

"The sky is the limit for him," the head coach said. "He's got the talent to play big time football one day."

Until that day comes, Khalil is going to take things one day at a time.

"Right now, we're looking week to week," Khalil said. "We have week to week goals. We've gotta win that week and then focus on the next week. We don't really want to jump to things in the future. Of course, we want to win a championship, but right now, we're just focusing on things we can control."