Sandy Creek Ends Season with Even More Awards

At any level, this year's season would be considered a success. A perfect 15-0 record, Region Champions and State Champions are all achievements sought after by teams across the country. The Sandy Creek Patriots were able to capture all three this year. They can also add back to back Region Champs and State Champs to the list, though last year's championships came from a different Region and State classifications. Last year, Sandy Creek lost the opening game of the season, but went on the win out, going 14-1 to win the GHSA AAAA State Championship. This year, The Patriots dropped to AAA and pushed that win streak to 29 straight wins.

Winning all of their games is indeed the mark of success, but the Patriots went to the next level, dominating their opponents along the way. For the season, Sandy Creek scored 542 points while only allowing 134. That's an average victory of 36.1 to 8.9. On the field, the offensive and defensive squads competed to see who was more dominant. The Patriots offense moved the ball for 5,367 yards while the defense only allowed 3,120. The offense was led by running back Derrick Alexander (1,217 rushing yards), quarter back Ronnie Bell (2,426 passing yards) and wide reciever Alex Chisum (1,427 recieving yards). The defense was led by Jamal Ware (111.5 tackles), Xavier Chisum (85 tackles) and Mike Hilton (60.5 tackles).

Numbers like these make it appear that Sandy Creek is one of the elite teams in Georgia High School football. Many would agree with that comment, and with voting completed on the AAA All-State Teams, the Patriots keep on winning. Coach Chip Walker leads the list of awards, being named the Associated Press Class AAA Coach of the year. Wide receiver Alex Chisum, was named offensive player of the year by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The AJC and AP vote together to decide the All-State teams, and several Patriots were named. First-team offensive players include, Ronnie Bell, Alex Chisum, Will Adams and Mitchell McMillin. First-team defensive players include, Jamal Ware, Bruce Dukes and Mike Hilton. Gavin Rocker received a defensive honorable mention.

Coach Chip Walker received another interesting award with his back to back State Championships. Coach Walker joined his father Rodney Walker (Head Coach at Mary Persons), to become the only Father & Son combination to both win a Georgia High School State Championship as Head Coach.