The Spring practice tour explored Fayette County and the City of Tyrone, where the Sandy Creek Patriots reside. Sandy Creek is one of the more talented teams in the peach state, and I finally got a chance to check it out for myself to see how the program looked.
Players to watch
RB Amari Latimer- There are so many adjectives you can use to describe Amari and they all would be fitting for who he is on the field. The one that comes to mind for me is special. Latimer is a unique blend of power and speed all in one. He is a mix of Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley all wrapped into one. Latimer was running over defenders in practice and bursting off with speed, reaching the second level quickly. Latimer also looked massive in person and is now 220 pounds at the running back position. The Florida coaching staff was in attendance to see the talented player and his complete skill set.
QB Caleb Hill- His progression is evident when you watch Sandy Creek practice. He is more comfortable in the offense and is diagnosing at a faster rate than the year before. Hill knows instantly where to go with the football and puts the ball on the money consistently. He has a chance to lead this team to the promised land. Hill had a breakout sophomore campaign, throwing for 2,335 yards and 33 touchdowns. Hill improved rapidly towards the end of the year in 2024, throwing 13 touchdowns to just one interception in the final five games of the season.
WR Avohn Florence- He is prominently known as a basketball player for head coach Jon-Michael Nickerson. However, Florence has a bright future in football as well. Standing at 6’6 and 200+ pounds, he already has a good frame and is starting to showcase his ability as a receiver to separate from defenders with his route running and his strong hands that allow him to make tightly contested catches. Florence has the potential to be a big-time weapon in 2025/ for the Patriots.
DB Corey Hadley Jr- Hadley Jr is another talented defensive back to come through the Sandy Creek program that is producing them like a factory. You go and look at Geimere Latimer (Wisconsin) is a standout DB at the collegiate level. After the school year is over, talented defensive back and former four-star Dalen Penson will join Georgia Tech. Hadley Jr was another one making plays on the defensive side of the ball making plays in the passing game, and controlling the box against talented Amari Latimer. Hadley Jr is another can’t miss prospect on the backend for the Patriots.
CB Chase Usher- Usher received high praise from his coach for his ability to cover in the open field. He has a lot of experience and will enter the 2025 season with already three years under his belt. Usher is really good in zone or press coverage and slowing down the momentum of receivers early in their routes. When the ball is in the air, he plays through the hands of the receiver and makes a play on the ball. His experience and skill set will allow the Patriots to run any coverage they would like and not miss a beat.
DB Dana Greenhow- He popped out at me instantly with his 6’0 and 180-pound frame with how he was moving in drills. The Sandy Creek position coaches were constantly challenging him and his communication with various signals that would signify certain coverages the defense had to run. He excelled throughout the day at it and showed he is a natural at the position. Greenhow has official visits set to Missouri, Liberty, Indiana, and NC State.
EDGE Evan Harvey- Harvey has been a staple on the defensive line for Sandy Creek for quite some time. He’s gotten bigger and stronger since last year and is a disruptive force at the edge position. Harvey cut down his list of finalists to six programs in mid-April that included Pittsburgh, Memphis, Louisville, USF, Mississippi State, and Miami.
I caught up with head coach Darius Smiley of Sandy Creek to get his overall assessment of the team and where they stand in spring practice. Here is what he has liked thus far.
“Oh, just the intensity, man. Got a lot of guys flying around on defense. We’re moving at a high clip and feel like we’re executing ahead of schedule offensively. So, just satisfied with that, but we still have to continue to get better. So I would say just overall the intensity, the focus that they’ve come out with. Hopefully, we can continue that.
Sandy Creek will have a lot of depth in 2025 and is looking forward to staying healthy at the end of spring and continuing to install a new defense.
“At the end of spring, just, you know, first and foremost, to stay healthy, you know, hopefully no serious injuries. We’ve been fortunate so far that we haven’t had any. You know, just to see us execute, we got a new defense. Seeing our kids execute that and be coachable and do what they’re coached to do when the time comes. I feel like we’re heading in the right direction, we’re trending in the right direction. Kids are excited about everything, just trying to keep that excitement going. We’ve had some lively practices and guys getting after each other and I think that’s gonna make us better.
“We got a lot of depth in certain spots, so a lot of our kids understand, like, if I mess up, there’s a next guy right behind you. I think that has piqued our practices because guys understand, like, hey, if I don’t get this rep right, somebody else is going to replace me, you know? So I think that’s been a big key for the intensity in practice and guys going hard. Every play there is, there hadn’t been a whole lot of effort plays where we have to get on for guys for their efforts so that I think that’s that’s been the big factor.
To coach Smiley’s point, a lot of young guys have been stepping up and taking full advantage of their opportunities. Here are some names he mentioned.
“Oh Khaylin Stevenson at receiver. He’ll be a rising junior. We got a transfer here from East Coweta Alijah Ferrell, he’s made a lot of plays. Ryland Moore at center has been surprisingly good. Miles Odom is at linebacker. Abibou Gaye at safety. So we’ve got some young guys that were kind of either in backup roles or reserve-type roles last year that are kind of stepping up. And that’s in the off-season, going through the weight room and going through that process and coming out here in spring practices. That’s what you want to see for some guys that have been waiting their turn. I feel like those guys, especially Miles Odom, he’s a linebacker who played sparingly last year. And I think he’s got a lot of potential to be really good and just, you know, just trying to get him as many reps as we can.”
Coach Smiley on his stars and elite players performances this spring.
“Yeah just like like expected you know those guys will be three-year starters, you know Amari and Caleb, you know they’ve done a good job offensively. We have Corey Hadley at safety and Dana Greenhow at safety,” said Smiley. “Evan Harvey, at edge, we’ve got a lot of guys that I think can do it. Chase Usher is a corner who’s a three-year starter for us. So Chase has had a good spring so far. So just hoping those guys can continue to be leaders and continue to lead us in the right direction. And they’ve done a great job so far this offseason. We’re just hoping that we can continue into the summer, and when we get started in August.”
My final thought is that Sandy Creek will once again be a formidable team especially in 3A. The Patriots have a lot of depth and pieces that fit well together. Despite having a new defnese, they fly around to the football. On offense, they have plenty of playmakers to get the ball to in space that can do damage. Sandy Creek should be a state title contender in 3A next season.
Loading ...
