Jackson Crawford, a rising seventh grader at Read Mountain Middle School, capped off his summer playing for nationally ranked and Nike-sponsored D.C. United (Dreamchasers United) in the AAU 12U National Championship game held in Hampton July 19-24 at the Boo Williams Sportsplex.

D.C. United posted six straight wins before heading to the national championship and being knocked off by a powerhouse program out of South Carolina.

D.C. United trailed in four straight games late in the fourth quarter to come back and eventually pull out victories which led them straight into the finals.

Crawford was instrumental in leading his team on this big march going 21-for-29 from 3-point range and shooting 100 percent from the charity stripe. He averaged 15 points per game while handing out 4.5 assists per game.

Last year Crawford played for Adidas-sponsored “Team Loaded ” out of Richmond en route to a No. 8 Division 1 National ranking and placing eighth in the D1 AAU Nationals in Cocoa Beach, Fla.

After traveling the country these last six months, Crawford is looking forward to getting on the gridiron with his Read Mountain Middle School football team and his Botetourt Dazzle eighth grade basketball team, which has been together for eight consecutive years. These young men are all Read Mountain Middle School student/athletes.

Crawford thanked all the folks who supported him on this run for a championship this summer.