ROXANA - Terrel Graves was wearing Roxana Shells yellow and red before it was cool. Graves was a freshman at Roxana in the COVID-altered and shortened season, where the Shells went 2-4.
In 2021, the Shells didn’t pick up any more wins, but Graves became a staple within the Shells offense as just a sophomore. Last year, as a junior, he broke the 1,000-yard mark in a single season.
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Graves making the big jump in 2022 is similar to the leap his team as a whole made, as the Roxana Shells went from 2-7 in 2021 to 7-4 in 2022, reaching postseason play. The 2022 offense was carried by Graves, who had nearly 1300 all-purpose yards, averaging over 117 total yards per game.
Now a senior, Terrel has been able to grow with this Roxana Shells team, and is one of the leaders on a team full of star power. With plenty of offense to go around, Graves is still averaging more than ten yards per carry, and averages at least one touchdown per game. Graves is a Midwest Members Credit Union Athlete of Month for the Shells.
The Shells have become one of the most dominant teams in the area in 2023. Roxana has had a tendency to score early and often, relying on a three-headed monster of a rushing attack. Evan Wells, Andruw Ellis, and Terrel Graves have combined for more than 2,000 all-purpose yards and 30 touchdowns.
“When you have (Andruw) Ellis on one side, and Terrel on the other it works out great for us,” said Roxana head coach Wade DeVries, of what Terrel Graves brings to his team. “If (Andruw) Ellis goes off, like he did against Jerseyville, that can only happen if Terrel (Graves) is great at blocking.”
In Roxana’s big win over conference rival Breese Central, it was another great performance for Graves as well as the whole Shells team, picking up a 52-28, sealing up the Cahokia Conference title, but Graves doesn’t think the team is done yet.
Terrel had one of the biggest plays for the Shells in their big home win, breaking a run fifty yards for a first-half score. He was also right there with the Gatorade cooler to pour on DeVries after the final whistle.
A one-sport athlete-focused solely on the gridiron, Terrel said that football means “just about everything” to him. We are sure the Shell Nation is just as glad to have Terrel.
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