MaxPreps 2013 Preseason Xcellent 25 Football preview: No. 5 Sandy Creek

No team has dominated its playoff bracket in the state of Georgia recently like Sandy Creek (Tyrone, Ga.), which has captured state titles in three of the last four seasons.

In 2013, the alma mater of Calvin Johnson has a chance to have its best, most talented team yet.

Head coach Chip Walker returns at least a half-dozen starters on both sides of the ball, including most of the team's premier playmakers from a year ago.

Leading the charge is explosive receiver Demarre Kitt. The Clemson-bound senior recorded nearly 1,200 yards as a junior and gives experienced quarterback Cole Garvin a trustworthy target.



The team features a pair of exciting junior running backs in Eric Swinney and Delvin Weems, who combined for nearly 2,500 yards last season.

Swinney already has multiple SEC offers and Weems isn't too far behind.

Defensively, the team boasts an almost equal level of talent, starting up front with Chris Williams.

The 6-foot-2, 270-pound defensive tackle is an extremely disruptive force. He had 56 tackles (17 for loss) and 11 sacks as a junior and has offers from the likes of Ohio State, Tennessee and South Carolina.

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Khari Lain, an extremely productive linebacker last year, returns. He'll be joined by 6-foot-3 Javonte Lain. The secondary loses Shaq Wiggins to Georgia, so it will be an inexperienced but talented group and should feature sophomores Javon Jackson and Ronnie Blackmon.



Local look: "They could win an all-class state title in Georgia, and I don't often say that about teams below the highest classification. They've got a half dozen or more D-1 prospects, a couple of returning 1,000-yard rushers, a 2,000-yard passer and 1,000-yard receiver. They had one close game last year. Unfortunately, they won't face a nationally elite team this year to prove exactly where they stand in the nation or even in Georgia."
- Todd Holcomb, Atlanta Journal-Constitution {PAGEBREAK} Size: Class AAAA

Enrollment: 1,227

2012 finish: 15-0, Class 4A state champion

Head coach: Chip Walker

Career record: 95-16

Years at school: 14 (8 as head coach)



Notable players coached:
WR Calvin Johnson (Georgia Tech, NFL)

OL Andrew Gardner (Georgia Tech, NFL)

RB Raijon Neal (Tennessee)

DB Shaq Wiggins (Georgia){PAGEBREAK} No. of returning starters: 7 (offense), 6 (defense)

Key losses:

DB Shaq Wiggins



OL Alan Knott

DB Corey Griffin

Key returners:

QB Cole Garvin

RB Eric Swinney

WR Demarre Kitt



DL Chris Williams

LB Khari Lain

Key newcomers:

DB Javon Jackson

WR Corey Banks

DL Chandler Tuitt{PAGEBREAK} Toughest game: No team truly challenged Sandy Creek in the regular season last year, but Carrollton was perhaps its toughest opponent. With its key offensive playmakers back, the same will likely be true in 2013.



Question mark: With Shaq Wiggins gone and with several underclassmen in the secondary, will that unit be the team's Achilles' heel?

Local outlook: Sandy Creek is as big of a favorite to win Class AAAA as possible. To start the season, Norcross, the defending AAAAAA champ, is the only Georgia team ranked ahead of the Patriots. Gainesville, the reigning AAAAA winner, will once again be very strong with Deshaun Watson guiding the offense.

Overall outlook: As pointed out in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution 50-in-50 preview of Sandy Creek, the team's only real question is motivation. From a rankings perspective, the challenge Sandy Creek faces is that it will have few opportunities to prove how good it is with respect to top teams in the state, let alone the nation. Still, it could put forth one of the most dominant seasons in state history. That would make it hard to keep them too far from the top spot.

Coach quote: "Well, obviously expectations are going to be really high right now for the fall. We feel really good about the kids we’ve got coming back. We’re just at the point now where we’re ready to get going."
- Chip Walker{PAGEBREAK}