SPORTS
THE CHAMPION, THURSDAY, JANUARY 10 - 16, 2019 • Page 14
FOOTBALL
Cedar Grove wide receiver Jadon Haselwood committed to Oklahoma. Photo by Travis Hudgons/iShootAtlanta Photography
JADON HASELWOOD HEADING TO OKLAHOMA
BY CARLA PARKER
carla@dekalbchamp.com
Cedar Grove wide receiver
Jadon Haselwood announced
Jan. 5 that he will play college
football at the University of
Oklahoma.
Haselwood, the No.
1 -ranked wide receiver in
the nation, announced his
commitment on live television
during the U.S. Army All-
American Bowl in San
Antonio, Texas. He selected
Oklahoma over Florida State,
Georgia and Tennessee. After
his selection, Haselwood
released a statement via
his Twitter and Instagram
accounts.
“I have finally landed at my
dream school,” he said. “This
process was not easy. I spent a
lot of days and nights stressing
to make sure I was making the
best choice on where to spend
the next three to four years of
my college career.
“Ever since I was a kid,
all I could dream about was
putting on the OU football
jersey,” he continued. “It fits
me best personally, and I want
to continue the family tradition
[of] representing Sooners. This
is a lifelong dream come true.”
According to reports,
Haselwood’s father attended
Oklahoma. Haselwood was
previously committed to
Georgia, a decision he made
after his sophomore season.
Nineteen months later, he
announced via his Twitter
account Oct. 3 that he had
decommitted and will reopen
his recruitment.
“This is a very tough
decision for me, but I feel that
this is the best decision for me
to make at this time,” he said.
“Please respect my decision as
this was not [an] easy choice
for me to make.”
He told The Champion last
September that he knew then
that Georgia was going to be
his future home.
“I felt like [Georgia] was
the place for me,” he said. “My
parents loved it and I liked it.
We all talked about it and I just
did it.”
Haselwood also told
The Champion that after he
committed early, coaches from
other schools continued to
recruit him.
“I thought [the calls]
were going to stop, but it
actually got worse,” he said.
“Especially my junior year
[beginning] Sept. 1. Everybody
was hitting my phone up.”
Haselwood finished
his senior season with 53
receptions for 1,032 yards and
caught 11 touchdowns. One
of those touchdowns was the
game-winner in the Class AAA
state championship game.
On defense, he finished the
season with 27 total tackles,
3.5 tackles for a loss, three
interceptions and two forced
fumbles.
Haselwood caught a 75-
yard touchdown pass in the
U.S. Army All-American
Bowl.
WEEKEND BASKETBALL SCARES
Jan. 4
Boys
Druid Hills 89, Dunwoody 72
Lithonia 53, Cedar Grove 46
Marist 57, West Hall 39
St. Pius X 71, Stephens County 47
Berkmar 66, Lakeside 49
Galloway 50, Paideia 38
Lovejoy 60, M.L. King 55
Mt. Vernon Presbyterian 58, W.D. Mohammed 55
Girls
Cedar Grove 44, Lithonia 34
Druid Hills 37, Dunwoody 27
Lakeside 57, Berkmar 21
Marist 51, West Hall 41
Paideia 58, Galloway 56
St. Pius X 56, Stephenson County 38
Stephenson 80, Morrow 18
Lovejoy 76, M.L. King 36
Mt. Vernon Presbyterian 41, W.D. Mohammed 39
Jan. 5
Boys
Greenforest 84, Cumberland Christian Academy 73
Southwest DeKalb 86, Spalding 42
Tucker 78, Grady 49
Alcovy 66, Decatur 42
Elite Scholars Academy 67, Paideia 57
Etowah 53, Marist 47
Morrow 61, Stephenson 57
Woodland 66, Redan 52
Girls
Greenforest 53, Cumberland Christian Academy 34
Marist 45, Etowah 21
Paideia 41, Elite Scholars Academy 35
Tucker 55, Grady 51
Spalding 54, Southwest DeKalb 45
Woodland 58, Redan 22
