Hawk football prepares for 2016 with spring ball
It’s the end of one era and the beginning of another for the Hanahan football team, as the Hawks prepare for the 2016 season after closing out spring practice.
The end of the era is in reference to the graduation losses of Samuel Denmark, Tre Smalls and Dominique Green. The three were dominant football players and were all-state performers in track and field. Denmark, the headliner, graduated shortly after the 2015 season and enrolled at Virginia Tech, where he will vie for playing time at wide receiver for the Hokies.
“We’ve had a lot of great football players here at Hanahan High School – no doubt about that,” said Hawks coach Charlie Patterson, whose team won the region title and finished 8-3. “But I don’t think we had three like that who came through at the same time.”
The new era is a new region that includes rivals Timberland and Bishop England, two schools that move up to Class AAA after winning state titles earlier in the decade. The other teams in the Hawks’ region include Lake Marion and Manning.
“I think it is one of the most talented regions around,” Patterson said. “Bishop England and Timberland have had great success and Lake Marion and Manning both have very talented athletes. They are coached well. We have some tough competition.”
Denmark, Smalls and Green aren’t the only losses. There are only four starters returning on defense, and maybe five or six on offense.
“I’m really not sure,” Patterson said of the numbers crunch. “But I know we have some concerns on defense. We have a lot of question marks on the line, at linebacker and even the secondary. We have to see if people step up on that side of the ball.”
If you have heavy graduation losses, as the Hawks do, it’s nice to have a veteran quarterback returning.
Senior quarterback Victor Colbert is back after passing for more than 1,600 yards and 17 touchdowns.
“We feel good with him at quarterback,” Patterson said. “He has a year’s experience under his belt and he’s gotten stronger, faster and smarter. He needs to make good decisions. We feel good about him.”
Jamie Watson, Aaron Manley and Javante Grant are the wide receivers who have the most experience. They won’t make fans forget about Denmark. But they will allow the Hawks to spread the ball around.
Running back Jerry Bailey is coming back from knee surgery and Quincy Mitchell will see time on both sides of the ball.
Mitchell is one of the top sprinters in the state who has great straight-ahead speed. He’s worked to get better as a receiver and must hold on to the ball.
“We need for him to perform,” Patterson said of Mitchell. “He’s another kid who has gotten stronger and faster. Now, he has the chance to see what he can do.” Three starters are back on the OL: Deangelo Failey, Devit Lor and Deshawn Drayton.
Seniors Tyler Duncan and Watson are three of the top starters back on defense.