Sikeston athlete powering his way onto college FB radars

Third-year Sikeston High School football coach Treston Pulley is excited right now about a lot of parts of his Bulldog football program, as it is immersed in the opening week of training camp. Included in Pulley’s reasons to be feeling positive about this fall is the fact that he can call plays in which his Keodrick Sherrod will carry the ball.

“He has intangibles,” Pulley said of his running back. “He has the size, and he is a strong runner.”

Sherrod was one of several Bulldog players who recently took part in a “Prospect Camp,” which was organized by the Southeast Missouri State football program on the Redhawks’ campus.

“Our players are getting extra reps,” Pulley said of the experience. “And they get eyes on them from college scouts. They can put themselves on a radar.”

That is something that Sherrod has already done.

At 6 feet and well over 200-plus pounds, Sherrod has already received scholarship offers from FBS program South Alabama (Mobile, Ala.) and FCS program Lamar University (Beaumont, Texas).

“He can punish you,” Pulley said of his power back.

Sherrod is built like a bowling ball, albeit one with speed. He has the frame necessary to just continue to gain more and more strength, according to Pulley.

“You can tell,” Pulley said, that he is just going to keep growing. His intangibles are the number one thing (attractive) about him, and then his (good) grades and everything else falls into place.

“That is why colleges want him.”

Sherrod burst onto the Sikeston scene – with the help of Pulley – as a freshman in 2020.

At the time, Pulley was the Bulldog running backs coach, and in a tough game against Cape Central, Pulley gave the young Sherrod an opportunity.

“I’ll never forget it,” Pulley said. “His first carry, he got us a first down.”

And Pulley hasn’t shied away from calling Sherrod’s number ever since.

“He has just progressively gotten better each year,” Pulley said. “Keodrick has been really good for us. We expect him to be a good leader for us this year.”

The Bulldogs have not had a winning season since 2016, and if that trajectory is to change, it will be up to Sherrod, among others, to work towards returning the Bulldog program back to where the Sikeston community expects it to be.

Pulley said that Sherrod’s work ethic in the off-season can go a long way to helping the program get back on its feet.

“Keodrick is actually our strongest kid,” Pulley said. “He is in the top two in just about every lift.”

Sikeston will host its annual Red and Black Scrimmage at 9 a.m. on Friday.

The event serves as a showcase for the team’s progress and provides an opportunity for the fans and supporters to catch a glimpse of the Bulldogs.

Admission to the scrimmage is a bottle of Gatorade, and following the scrimmage, there will be an information session for Bulldog parents to meet and greet the Sikeston coaches and receive pertinent information regarding the 2023 season.

Pulley’s team will compete in a jamboree at Winfield High School on Aug. 18 and open its regular season at Hillsboro on Aug. 25 at 7 p.m.