Sports Spotlight: Havelock’s Vereen honing skills in hopes of record setting senior season and future at N.C. State
“I’m ready to put on a show for anybody that’s watching.”
HAVELOCK, N.C. (WITN) - Havelock football is a perennial powerhouse here in eastern North Carolina and they expect to bring the juice again this fall. Their star wide receiver Javonte “Juice” Vereen is going to be a big part of that and we feature him in this week’s Pepsi Sports Spotlight.
“Juice was a childhood nickname that I kept under for a little bit,” says Havelock senior Javonte Vereen, “As I got older, I let it get out a little bit, and now everyone has been calling me it for a little while.”
Havelock senior Javonte Vereen is the third of four kids in a military family. Two older athlete brothers helped Juice fall in love with the game.
“My brother who’s playing at North Carolina Central, he started playing at 7 when I was 5,” Javonte says, “I just wanted to play because I seen him playing.”
“Oldest brother plays basketball in college. His second oldest brother he as talking about Jashun plays football in college and he’s the third college athlete from that group,” says Havelock head coach Allen Wooten.
Vereen committed to N.C. State football earlier this summer.
“Just looked at the pros and cons to every school. See which school uses the tight ends the best way. State uses it the best way for me so,” says Vereen, “The family environment from the players, the coaches and the fans also sold me on choosing N.C. State.”
And he’s working on his skills to get ready.
“Working on my route running, my hands still, change of direction, working on my tight end blocking,” Javonte says, “It’s a big factor in both and they are going to use me in both ways.”
Vereen averaged just under 100 yards receiving per game last fall with 13 touchdowns in 11 games according to max preps stats.
“He’s a competitor,” says Wooten, “He does not like to lose. You can’t coach competitiveness.”
“I’m competitive and this is a competitive sport,” says Vereen, “I always strive to win and I just take great pride in it in football.”
His expectations are as high as it gets for his senior year.
“If we double his touches, which we are going to try to do, his goal is to beat Sage Surratt receiving record for the state (single season) which is right at 22 hundred yards,” says Wooten, “That’s his goal. He set it himself. We are going to do everything we can to give him the chance.”
“It’s a little unreal. I feel like I was just a sophomore, COVID year went kind of fast,” says Vereen, “But I’m feeling great. I’m healthy. I’m at my max and I’m ready to put on a show for anybody that’s watching.”
Be on the look out for “Juice”.
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