EASLEY — Easley High School football’s road to resurgence under head coach John Windham continued last week, as three Green Wave seniors signed to continue their gridiron careers at the collegiate level.

Kerry Gilstrap/Courier

Pictured from left with first-year Easley coach John Windham, Green Wave seniors Kavon Addison-Brown, Dalton Black and Ivan Hill all signed last Wednesday to play football in college.

Windham led the Green Wave to a winning 6-5 record in his first season at the helm, including wins over local rivals Pickens, Daniel and Wren. Led by a veteran senior signal-caller in Dalton Black, Easley also closed the year with wins in three of its last four games despite missing out on the playoffs.

Black was joined by versatile lineman Kavon Addison-Brown and do-it-all athlete Ivan Hill in inking national letters of intent to play college football on National Signing Day last Wednesday at the school.

A chance to make an immediate impact at the next level was a key factor in Black’s decision to sign with Limestone College, he said.

“They’re only planning on bringing in three quarterbacks, and they told me I was in the top two,” Black said during a signing-day ceremony. “They said they were going to go with a freshman at the quarterback position.”

Black, who said he gives all thanks to God for the opportunity to play in college, also said the family environment at Limestone made him feel at ease with his choice.

Addison-Brown, meanwhile, looks at his signing with North Dakota State College of Science as just the beginning of his college football career. He is hoping to eventually earn a chance to transfer to a Division I school.

He said his experience at Easley has prepared him well to have a chance to continue to play the game he loves.

“It has matured me as a man,” he said of his time with the Green Wave, adding NDSCS coaches have already told him, “if I put the work into it, I could start as a freshman.”

The 6’4″, 260-pound Addison-Brown said he was originally being recruited as an offensive lineman, but will play defensive end for the Wildcats.

Hill, who played multiple positions during his time at Easley, said his desire to stay in the state and his father’s suggestion to check out historically black colleges and universities combined to make South Carolina State University in Orangeburg the perfect choice for him.

While he thanked his father for keeping him motivated and involved in football, he also credited his Green Wave coaches and teammates for his development.

“All the hard work we put in helped me mature and get ready for the next level,” said Hill, who said his college position is still up in the air, as he’ll play either defensive end, linebacker, tight end or wide receiver for the Bulldogs.

Like his teammates, Hill is prepared to try to make an immediate impact on the collegiate level.

“That’s my plan,” he said. “I would like to play as a freshman. It’s hard work, though, so I’ll have to get in there and train and get better.”