Photographs courtesy Acree family
The senior looks to shine on the football field and basketball court
Easton High safety Kyree Acree’s strengths on the football field go like this: sure tackler, outstanding speed, powerful, leadership skills, and top-notch coverage ability. Toughness may be his biggest asset, though. It went to the top of the list after Acree’s 2024 season.
“I play hurt because I have heart,” Acree explains. The proof?
Acree competed last fall with a right ailing shoulder and, surprisingly, didn’t miss a game. It wasn’t just a mild shoulder injury. Acree tore the labrum in his shoulder—which required surgery right after the season—but he never considered not playing.
“It’s usually a season-ending injury,” says Easton defensive coordinator Al Waters, who has coached high school football for 23 years. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a player with this injury continue to play and have that good of a season.”
The injury forced Acree to wear a brace all year. He suffered his injury in the third game against Kent Island, popping the shoulder out of the socket. “I would say I was playing at 75 percent,” Acree says. “I don’t think a lot of other guys would have played with that injury. There was a lot of pain. It was terrible.”
Yet, it didn’t slow him down. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Acree led Easton in tackles (70), interceptions (4), and pass deflections (8) while ranking second in forced fumbles (4) to earn First-Team All-Bayside Conference honors. “The best thing about him is that he continued to get better week after week,” Easton Football Coach Matt Griffith recalls. “To play through his injury and still lead the team in tackles and to never become gun shy is tremendous.”
Acree produced some special games for the 8-4 Warriors. The three-year starter totaled seven tackles (2 for losses) and an interception in a 62-26 playoff win over visiting Parkside in late November. Acree finished with 11 tackles and a forced fumble in a regular-season rout of North Caroline in September.
“I love tackling and hitting,” Acree says. “I just like to keep it going. It gives you energy. I would say tackling is my strength. My goal is to knock him off his feet.”
Photographs courtesy Acree family
The attention from colleges figures to continue to grow if Acree, who also has played quarterback and wide receiver as well as return punts and kicks, dominates again in 2025. Division III Salisbury and Alvernia universities (Pennsylvania) and a pair of Division II schools, Frostburg State University and Shepherd University in West Virginia, have recruited him.
The 17-year-old Acree, a team co-captain, attended the Shepherd football camp in August and ran a 4.60-yard dash. That will help him in the eyes of college coaches and recruiters along with the 15 pounds he added through weight training and a healthier diet.
“After his surgery, he couldn’t lift weights,” Griffith says. “But he still came to workouts and worked on his lower body and opposite arm while he was in a sling. You don’t see that often.”
Acree’s ultimate goal: a college scholarship. So, he focused on getting bigger, stronger, and faster this offseason. Acree and the Easton coaching staff like the results.
“He really has wanted to go to the next level with his play,” Waters says. “I think he is a Division II player if not higher.”
Acree adds, “I want to have a great 2025 season so I can get Division I schools to look at me.”
After the football season, Acree looks forward to playing basketball again. He started for the Easton varsity squad at point guard as a sophomore. He averaged eight points, five assists, and four steals per game. He missed the 2024–25 season while rehabbing his shoulder injury.
“Some people say I am better at basketball than football,” says Acree, who has played four years of AAU basketball. It seems, however, his future is in football with his growing reputation.
