HS Football Hall of Fame

Jordan Thomas

Quay Wright

he said, but echoing an oft-used line from his head coach, he says that he and the team “want to be playing in December.”

“Everybody in our county, they think last year was just a fluke because we played a non-region schedule,” Walker said.

For Walker, it doesn’t hurt that his father and the Bulldogs’ quarterbacks coach, Fabian Walker Sr., is a Georgia high school quarterbacking legend who went on to Florida State and won a Divison II National Championship at Valdosta State. A recordsetting QB from Americus High School in the 1990s, the elder Walker marvels at the well-oiled machine that the Chamblee offense has become.

“This is a pretty wide-open system that Fabian is running,” Walker Sr. said. “I consider it a blessing to be in this type of offense, to throw the ball around and use your legs. It’s a balanced offense, but we’re definitely capable of throwing the ball and putting up a lot of yards passing.”

The younger Walker is garnering interest from multiple Division I programs and said he will make his commitment after the season.

Swank also cites senior linemen such as Jack Hawkins, Daniel Chavez, Miller Meeks and Zach Smith, who are big contributors on both sides of the ball, as well as Quay Wright, an Elbert County transfer who is among the county leaders in tackles for loss. And Swank also credits a reinvigorated student fan base that supports as loudly as anyone in the county. “The student body engagement is incredible,” Swank said. “Our Chamblee student section has gotten so excited about football and bought into what we’re doing that Friday nights are awesome with our crowd. When we play at home, they are a factor in the games, they’re so enthusiastic.”

High School Football Hall of Fame to induct first class

FROM SCORE ATLANTA

The Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame’s 36-member inaugural class is set and will be inducted in a ceremony at the College Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, Oct. 22. Board members of the Hall of Fame began submitting nominees in early spring and then held committee votes and appeals before the final ballot was narrowed down to 100 names in mid-June.

The board also decided that the nine Georgia high school players that are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the most recent being Sandy Creek’s Calvin Johnson, will also be included in the inaugural class (Johnson, Champ Bailey, Mel Blount, Richard Dent, Ray Guy, Jim Parker, Shannon Sharpe, Fran Tarkenton, Rayfield Wright).

Once the ballot was set, each board member was required to vote for a minimum of two players from each of the eight eras represented (from pre-1950s to 2000s) and select a total of 36 players from the star-powered 100-person ballot.

The ballots were voted on and submitted by July 1, but a four-way tie for the final spot in the class forced the board to hold a separate run-off to complete the process. Johnson County graduate (1979 senior season) and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker was the only unanimous inductee that received votes from all 35 board members, while Stan Rome (Valdosta, 1973), Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward (Central-Thomasville, 1987), Garrison Hearst (Lincoln County, 1989) and Jeff Francoeur (Parkview, 2001) all tied for the second-most votes with 30.

Hines Ward (Forest Park, 1993), Eric Berry (Creekside, 2006), William Andrews (Thomasville, 1974), Buck Belue (Valdosta, 1977) and Takeo Spikes (Washington County, 1994) were also among the top 10 vote getters, and in the process, Belue became the first-ever board member to be elected to the Hall of Fame.

Go to ScoreATL.com to buy tickets for the induction ceremony.

Winter SOCCER CAMPS

Join us this winter at soccer camp! There are camps for all ages and levels of play starting in December. All players are welcome. Both Rec and Competitive camps are available.