by Jordan Keifer

“We Swarm Together” is a phrase Lee County High school senior football captain, Kentrelle White, lives by, on and off the field. 

“I want this to be the year the Yellow Jackets really show these people who we are,” White said. “We need to bring something back to Lee County. I am bringing my all.

After dropping its last four games to end the 2023 campaign, White knew something needed to change for the team. Brotherhood and unity were the answers he came up with. He’s been working all summer to fix those for an LCHS team that is steeped with potential.

“We are brothers,” he says, “We live together, we lead together,” and leading is one of the things that number 55 does best.

White said he worked hard over summer workouts to build a brotherhood throughout his team, something that the Yellow Jackets lacked in previous seasons. “That’s why we looked how we looked. Last year, we didn’t really have brotherhood, no tightness, nobody really had each other’s backs,” he explained, “and this year I want everyone to be brothers, to have togetherness; that will really help us win games.” White also mentioned that brotherhood is something they take outside of the field and locker room.

White’s teammate and close friend, senior Drake Brown, agrees. “He keeps everyone in line, on the right task, doing the right things,” says Brown, “Without Kentrelle, we wouldn’t be as united as we are.” 

Being a 3.8 GPA student, White has a big future ahead of him. As a leader on the field and in the classroom, and as he may crack a joke or two, the biggest thing for him is simple, “I just keep my head down, do my work… that’s what I tell my guys… you’ve just gotta stay focused, that’s the main thing, to stay focused.” 

At 6’3” and 300 pounds, White is a giant on the field, but as Brown says, the senior offensive lineman is really a gentle giant to the people he cares about. 

“Trelle’s like the big brother of the team,” Brown said. “Some people might think he’s a big mean guy, but if you mess up, he’ll come talk to you, come help you. He’ll make you want to go back out there and do it right again.”

Junior Elijah Belk has learned this from White and looks up to him as his mentor. “He keeps us in check,” Belk said. On the playing field, in school halls, and after practice, “he takes us home a lot of times, when we don’t have a ride. He does a lot of stuff for us even outside of football.” 

The aspects of the senior leader are admired greatly from his peers, especially the younger athletes. He pushes them hard to be the greatest they can be, “I want to help them get out of the mud,” he says, as his God-Dad did for him.

White’s biggest inspiration is his God-Dad, the man that has given him the motivation he never takes for granted. “He really pushed me to be the best that I can be,” the same thing Kentrelle does for his teammates. “Him and his encouraging words, he’s an amazing dude, he’s my leader, my role model. He keeps me going, even when I feel like I’m down. Everything he taught me, everything he told me, I take that as knowledge.” 

Everyone that talks to White can see that he takes nothing for granted, he’s willing to listen, and he displays that through his words and his actions. Many of his teammates look to him for wisdom and advice, and this is what he has to say to the younger crew of Yellow Jackets. 

“Stay focused,” White said. “Do what you’re taught to do, especially from your coaches, they will never-ever point you in the wrong direction. Keep your head down and work, and you’ll be where you want to be. Have a goal, and set stepping stones.”

With the season set to kick off Friday night at Northern Durham, White has specific expectations for the brotherhood of his team. “I’m going to do what I have to do, on and off the field. When we work together, as a unit, with brotherhood, the ‘I have your back, you have my back’ mentality, we can win anything.”