Terry, Turner ready to help Goose Creek to win another state championship

You have to be pretty fast to keep up with Goose Creek football standouts Tramel Terry and Gerald Turner.

“Right now, things are pretty crazy,” said Terry, arguably the best football player in the state. “It’s hard to believe my senior season is here. I am here for the first semester. Then I graduate and it’s on to college.”

Terry, who has committed to Georgia and plans to enroll early, has outstanding speed and will play at wide receiver and running back for the Gators, who are the defending state champions in Division II-AAAA.

Turner isn’t quite as fast as Terry, probably because the 6-2 defender weighs 245 pounds. But he can still run the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds. He can play linebacker or on the defensive line. He’s committed to play for South Carolina.

“We have five or six seniors who have been playing on the varsity since the ninth grade,” Goose Creek coach Chuck Reedy said. “Obviously, Tramel and Gerald are leaders — Tramel on offense and Gerald on defense. They have been great players and great leaders.”

Terry had 2,031 all-purpose yards and 16 touchdowns to help the Gators win the state championship last season. He has 2,714 all-purpose yards and 28 career touchdowns.

“I’ll be mentally ready by doing that,” Terry said of his early graduation. “Getting a jump early will speed things up. I want to help out early. I’ll probably be used on both sides of the ball.”

Turner had 49 tackles, 36 solo, as a junior and blocked four punts. He wants to make another trip to the championship game before graduating.

“It’s my senior year,” he said. “It went by so fast. Going into the season, we’ll face some pressure because it’s us against them. We just have to realize what it took to get there the first time: hard work and dedication.”

Reedy said Turner is a great role model for his younger players.

“The younger players look at Gerald and they see that the hard work paid off,” Reedy said. “It motivates the younger guys and perpetuates the desire to win. The senior class (of 2012) won 46 games.”

Turner started lifting weights in the seventh grade and makes an effort in the classroom, two requirements Reedy insists on from his players. He might not be as high profile as Terry.

“But in athletic ability, they are very similar,” Reedy said of Turner and Terry. “Tramel plays more of a glamour position. But for what position Gerald plays, he’s just as good.”

Follow Philip M. Bowman on Twitter: @pandcphil.