Football is back as many high schools across the country kicked off their seasons on Friday night.
2028 four-star QB commit Trace Hawkins kicked off his season by delivering a long touchdown strike on Calhoun’s opening possession. Hawkins would leave the game late in the second quarter just before his team went up 21-0. Calhoun would hold off a second half comeback without Hawkins on the field, picking up a 21-18 win over Jefferson.
As a sophomore, the 6-foot signal-caller threw for 2,442 yards with 24 touchdowns to just three interceptions. He also had three rushing touchdowns.
Hawkins committed to Clemson at the end of July, becoming the first verbal pledge of the 2028 class.
Three-star LB commit Max Brown also left in the first half of that same game with an undisclosed injury. Brown did have a tackle for loss late in the second quarter. The younger brother of Sammy Brown missed a chunk of his junior season with a knee injury.
The Clemson Insider has more from Calhoun’s win here.
Four-star RB Gary Walker scored three touchdowns in Creekside’s 29-20 loss to Clay-Chalk to open the season. One of Walker’s scoring runs went for 76 yards.
The four-star back is the only take at the position for the Tigers in the 2027 class. Walker is coming off a junior season that saw him rush for 1,669 yards with 20 touchdowns, helping lead his team to a 4A state title. 247 Sports and Rivals both rank him as one of the nine best backs in the class, with Rivals slotting him No. 131 overall.
Five-star wideout Jamarin Simmons had a couple of big-time catches in Godby’s 35-13 season-opening win over Rickards.
Simmons is the highest-rated commit in the 2027 class per 247, with the recruiting service ranking him as the fifth-best receiver in the class. He announced a verbal pledge in late May, just before the big official visit weekend.
As a junior, the 5-foot-11 pass catcher had 59 catches for 932 yards, with 14 touchdown grabs. He also rushed for a score. Earlier this summer, Simmons was named ‘Alpha Dog’ of an Under Armour camp in Orlando.
Three-star receiver Julian Cromartie also had a superb catch and run for a score in his College Park team’s final scrimmage before the start of the season.
Photo courtesy of Gary Walker