Iron Horse hoopsters tower in strong season start

It took Philip Simmons High School boys’ basketball coach Garrett Campbell three seasons to build a solid foundation after being named coach in time for the 2017-18 season at the new school. 

 

Since then, he’s guided the Iron Horses to 63 victories while winning a regional crown and developed four players who reached 1,000 career points. 

 

More success is on the way if the first four games of the 2024-25 season are any indication. The Iron Horses entered play this week with a two-game winning streak and a 3-1 record as of Dec. 8.

 

“We have some scorers, some players who can shoot the ball,” Campbell said. “We can spread it out and shoot from the perimeter.” 

 

The team is in a “refresh/rebuild” phase as eight seniors graduated, including Robert Watson, the fourth player in PSHS history to score 1,000 points. 

 

“Those eight seniors dominated the minutes (played),” Campbell said. “They were very good players who experienced success.” 

 

The loss of eight players may be the bad news, if you are an Iron Horse fan. 

 

The good news is that this team is the tallest in the program’s history. Campbell said it is also a team with untapped talent. 

 

The Iron Horses have two players on the roster who check in at 6 feet 9 inches: Hudson Hatch and Blake Darby. 

 

Hatch is a top-notch talent on the golf course and took last season off to focus on that sport. He entered this week averaging 12.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. He’s only a sophomore who should improve as the season progresses. 

 

Darby has also posted impressive numbers, averaging 10.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per contest. 

 

Darby grew a couple of inches over the offseason and is imposing near the basket. He has the ability to mix it up inside, and his shooting range is effective even from behind the three-point line. 

 

While the two tall players will give the Iron Horses an inside presence, Corbin Driggers directs the offense from the point guard position and is a force on defense with two steals per contest. 

 

“He sets up the offense,” Campbell said. “He has our trust to run the offense.” 

 

Hopper Afman, who transferred in from Oceanside Collegiate Academy, is hitting 40 percent of his shots while Gannon Barton leads the team with four assists per game. 

 

Coach Campbell’s 2017-18 team won only one game but reached double-digits in the win column two seasons later. 

 

The ’20-21 season was condensed to only nine games because of the pandemic. The Iron Horses had their best record the following season with a 25-4 record. 

 

The Iron Horses began the week with three wins in four games with the defense leading the way, allowing less than 50 points per game.

 

The Iron Horses competed at the Class AAA level last season but dropped down a classification this season. They reside in Region 6-AA which also includes Burke, Andrews, Academic Magnet, Woodland, and Timberland. It should be a two-team race for the region championship with the Iron Horses among the favorites to win the title along with Burke.