Russellville senior football player Chevis Elliott has been named Third Team All-State overall by the Courier-Journal as a defensive back. Overall means that every player in the state is evaluated on equal footing, regardless of the size of his school.
As a senior on Coach Mikie Benton’s district runner-up team, Elliott led the 2020 Panthers in solo tackles with 69, and total tackles with 83. He also caused three fumbles, recovering one of them and returning it for a touchdown. On offense, he was the second leading rusher with 315 yards on 31 carries—an average of 10 yards per carry—and scored three touchdowns.
He was also the Panthers’ leading tackler as a junior with 54 solos and 75 total tackles. He was more involved in the offense that year, carrying the ball 61 times for 276 yards and catching eight Lennon Ries passes for 77 yards. All four of his touchdowns came as a receiver.
As a sophomore he had 33 solo tackles and 49 overall, both third on the team. He was the third leading ground gainer with 190 yards on 33 carries, and he caught 10 of Jacob Naylor’s passes for 80 yards. He scored a rushing TD and one on a reception.
Coach John Myers used Chevis in four games as a freshman.
For his 36-game career, Elliott accumulated 158 solo tackles, 55 assists, 213 total tackles, 799 rushing yards on 127 carries (6.3 yards per rush), 18 receptions for 157 yards, and 68 points.
Chevis’ dad, Chris Elliott, was a solid football and basketball player for the Panthers as was his uncle, Daniel Elliott, one of the RHS football coaches. His grandmother, Deborah Elliott, was the Lady Panther volleyball coach for several years.
Greg Owens of the R Club says, “Chevis is an honor roll student, multi-sport athlete, leader among peers, and above all else, a tremendous person of high character!”
Coach Benton says several colleges have expressed interest in having Elliott and other Panther seniors play for them next year. Campbellsville is a strong possibility.
There are two unique problems with recruitment this year, Benton notes. One is that COVID-19 concerns make on-campus visits difficult if not impossible. The other is a ruling that college players are granted another year of eligibility following this uncertain season. As a result, colleges don’t know how many scholarships will be available.