Hillgrove and South Forsyth make their first appearance in the Metro PCS Corky Kell Classic as the programs meet on the gridiron for the first time. Phillip Ironside has been the head coach since the school’s opening in 2006.
Last season, Matt Wilson led Hillgrove with 797 passing yards and seven touchdowns, as injuries interrupted consistency. With Wilson having to fight through injuries, Hunter Arters and Bryson Parks were forced to play a large role in the offense at a young age. Arters, a junior, was impressive when he did see the field last season and recorded 1,023 passing yards and eight touchdowns in the seven games he played in. Parks saw less action at the quarterback position, but proved himself as a versatile athlete with 80 rushing yards and 102 receiving yards over the course of the season. The rotating of quarterbacks last season provided both Arters and Parks with varsity experience as sophomores that will become valuable as they lead the offensive unit this fall.
Jeremiah Bridges is the most valuable skill player that the Hawks lost this offseason after putting up 590 yards and six touchdowns his senior campaign. Chigoziem Okonkwo is returning for his junior season after totaling 238 yards and three touchdowns in 2015. Starting running back Mason Marshall had 156 yards rushing last year.
The Hillgrove defense allowed 23.9 points per game last year and will need nose guard Jimarco Witherow and linebacker Kelechi Kagha to lead the unit as physical presences. Witherow had 11 tackles last season and has the ability to and play end, linebacker and tackle on the defensive line. Kagha has been a starting linebacker for the Hawks since his sophomore year and is the most experienced player on the defense. Last year Kagha had 49 total tackles with four tackles for a loss in the five games he started at the varsity level.
Both players are entering their senior years and will be vocal leaders on the defense as well. Safety Jared Pryor (27 tackles) and corner Cameron Wilson (11 tackles) are the only returning starters in the secondary. The secondary will have to solidify quickly with players like Bailey Hockman (McEachern QB and FSU commit) and Chad Terrell (North Paulding WR and three-star recruit) in their region.
War Eagles Rise
South Forsyth was able to finish the year with an 11-2 record, the highest win total in school history. Quarterback Davis Shanley, who powered the offense into the quarterfinals where they fell in a shootout with Colquitt County 49-31, leads the unit. Shanley returns to his role after completing 63 percent of his passes while throwing for 2,342 yards and 25 touchdowns. He tacked on 623 additional rushing yards and another eight touchdowns on the ground to keep defenders honest.
Running back Sam Outlaw, a Kennesaw State commit that graduated in 2016, posted over 1,100 yards on the ground and scored 14 touchdowns, adding another 218 yards in the receiving game. Jalen Camp, Shanley’s favorite target, posted a 47-catch, 819-yard receiving line and scored an impressive 15 touchdowns. Camp used his big senior season to notch an offer from Georgia Tech, where he will be attending this fall. The only skill player returning this year on offense that finished with over 200 total yards is wide receiver Guy Morra. Up front the offense returns three starting linemen that should help protect Shanley his senior season.
The defensive unit of the War Eagles will be led by senior linebacker Max Slott. Slott led the team in tackles last season with 117 total. South Forsyth lost All-State Honorable Mention defensive end Cameron Kline, who will be playing football for Harvard this fall after sacking the quarterback 15 times in his senior season.
Incoming junior Ryan LaFlamme, who was able to produce 37 tackles and five sacks in his sophomore season, will replace Kline on defense. Rising senior linebacker Julian Mingo will also have an immediate impact on the defense after being named to the AAAAAA Region All-Second team and posting an impressive 11 tackles for a loss in his junior year.
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