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CHOCOWINITY, N.C. — After finishing up his high school career playing football at Southside, Nehemiah Credle wasn’t sure if the sport would be in his future.

However, after hearing from a friend who encouraged him to keep playing, Credle now has a chance to prove his abilities at NC Wesleyan. He announced his college choice last Friday.

“So, I had a friend there named Nolan,” Credle said. “He reached out to me and talked to the coach about me. And then the coach reached out to me, and I sent my highlight reel to him.

“And he was watching it and said I look really good. He had me on his radar for a while. And after a while, he reached out and told me to come out for a visit. And after the visit, it went really well, he gave me an offer to play there.”

Credle said he made his visit before Christmas. He said he liked the campus and the way the football program worked. He wants to go there and major in business.

“The football team is really dedicated and stuff,” Credle said. “They put a lot of work in their players. And I like how the campus is not really busy.

“There’s a lot of stuff. There’s a lot of traffic, so it’s not like that.I just like how that is.”

Southside football coach Andrea Quinerly is glad to see Credle get a chance to continue his football career.

“He is a great young man,” Quinerly said. “He will make any college coach proud because he has a great work ethic. He will get there and do whatever he can.

“He may not necessarily be prototypically a college size and height and all that, but he has a big heart, and he will give you everything he can.”

Credle is staying busy in the offseason with workouts and participating in track and field, throwing the discus and shot put.

“I’ve been getting in the gym, lifting weights and stuff,” Credle said. “I feel like it’s going to be a little harder, but I feel like I can adapt to it.

“Track and field keeps me conditioned to keep doing what I’m doing on the football field. It just keeps me active, so I don’t want to sit down and lose my strength and stuff.”

Quinerly said he has noticed Credle performing in college mode, from classes to track and field. It’s the start of a busy time in Credle’s life but he appears ready for it all.

“He understands that he needs to keep busy, so being out there with track and field, he’s even doing a little footwork, speed work, so he’s preparing himself,” Quinerly said. “He knows what’s coming ahead.”