Two key figures from Wagener-Salley’s most successful football era signed Tuesday to extend their academic and athletic careers.
Defensive lineman Elijah Davis is on his way to East Mississippi Community College, and wide receiver/defensive back Antonio Swedenburg is heading to the Augusta United Graduate Academy.
“Both of those kids are special football players. More importantly than that, they’re better kids,” said Wagener-Salley head coach Willie Fox. “They’re really, really hard workers. They’re guys that never questioned anything we did. They’re guys that bought into everything we were selling. They’re leaders. We’re gonna miss them on the field, but we’re definitely gonna miss who they are probably even more than that. Just really good kids. Glad to see them get an opportunity to play at the next level.”
Davis, ranked by 247Sports as the No. 9 prospect in the state, is a finalist for Aiken Standard Defensive Player of the Year after making 75 tackles (15 for loss) and six sacks while terrorizing opponents from his defensive end and linebacker positions. Additionally, the 6-foot-4, 250-pounder was a key blocker on offensive and was a receiving threat at tight end.
Fox recalled Davis being the biggest player in the weight room from the day he stepped in as an eighth-grader. He hasn’t just lived on his physical gifts alone, and the work he’s done to improve his technique and skills is why so many colleges showed interest in him.
Davis, the Region 3-A Co-Defensive Player of the Year, said that he liked what he saw when he looked at East Mississippi’s film and saw a style of play that suited his own. Now he’ll join the five-time junior college national champions and bring a winning mentality with him from Wagener-Salley.
“It’s been great,” he said of helping the War Eagles become one of Class A’s elite programs. “People were talking about that, that we were going to be a team to bring Wagener-Salley back up. Good thing we actually proved to them that we could do it.”
Swedenburg’s path at Wagener-Salley was initially more centered around the basketball court, but with a little encouragement and guidance he flourished on the football field as the War Eagles’ go-to threat.
The 6-foot, 160-pounder is also a finalist for Aiken Standard Defensive Player of the Year, but he impacts all phases of the game. The Region 3-A Co-Defensive Back of the Year, he intercepted three passes this past season, and he showed he was a must-watch talent with the ball in his hands. He also made the Class A All-State team at wide receiver after recording 473 yards and seven touchdowns to go along with 404 rushing yards and seven more touchdowns. He even went 5-for-5 passing for 125 yards, and he returned both a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns.
Read the full Aiken Standard article here.