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Fast Start Creating Quite a Buzz at Hampton
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This past Monday was Labor Day. It’s the final holiday of Summer and while most folks enjoyed a day off, I ventured to Hampton and found the Hornets all abuzz. You can feel that something special is going on.
“There was a time, while I’ve been here, that we had practice on Labor Day morning and might have 30 people here,” recalls Hampton coach Chad Ashley. “That was because of a lack of commitment, but not today. Of course, winning changes that. There was a time when I would move Labor Day practice to the afternoon to allow people to get back, but this group has been good about being committed, and being here.”
Winning changes things. How many times have we heard it. But this is something that has never been seen at the Henry County school. After Friday night‘s 34-33 win over Central Carrollton, Hampton is 3-0. It’s the first 3-0 start in the school’s history.
“(Central Carrollton) has a very good football team,” says Ashley. “When we scheduled it, me and coach Darius Smiley thought it would be a good game. We both made the playoffs last year. We were relatively young last year so it looked like it would be a good match up, like a playoff-type game. It was a really good football game to be a part of and watch. The McIntosh game stressed me out because I’m a defense guy and for us to give up that many points killed me. But this game was just a really good football game. It was a joy to watch ."
It’s been two weeks since Hampton outlasted McIntosh 56-49. The game was physically and emotionally draining, but that’s just half the story.
"We fell behind early," says Ashley. "I told them we were going to face some adversity and we did. They fought back and we didn’t have our kicker that game. We were 7-for-7 on two-point conversions. He had a soccer tournament in Tampa. It’s the only one he’s going to miss all year. He told me he figured it would be better to miss a non-region game and I said OK. So, we had to go for two. We got up on them, then came out for second half and I don’t think we got complacent, I think it was the humidity and heat . We had so many guys playing both ways I think it got to some of the guys. McIntosh took the lead, but we weathered the storm and persevered. We stayed composed. We fought back, scored and took the lead ."
The COVID-plagued 2020 season was tough on high school football teams in Georgia. The Hampton Hornets were no exception. Through it all there has been growth and some leaders have emerged.
"We have a young secondary," says Ashley ." We have a really good corner in senior Cameron Goggins, who has also put up some good numbers on offense. We have a freshman and sophomore out there with him and there are a lot of growing pains for those guys, but they are getting better… they really are."
Goggins is a versatile athlete who has caught the eye of some college recruiters. A track standout, Goggins was state runner-up in triple jump last spring.
Just as versatile is senior Connor Tolley, who joins Goggins in the secondary on defense, but also starts at quarterback. Against Central Carrollton, Tolley threw for one touchdown and ran for 140 yards and three more scores. That sounds like a pretty good night to me, but don’t ask the Hornets signal caller.
“He would tell you that he did not throw the ball well Friday night,” says Ashley. ”Some of that was him, some of that had to do with who we were playing. But he sure ran the ball well. He didn’t let it get him down, he just kept competing. We have been pretty good running the football this year. The offensive line has done a great job so far, and our backs have done a great job. Hopefully we will keep that trend going.”
Last season the Hornets won three of the final four games and made the state playoffs for the second time in school history. It proved to be a springboard for a productive off-season.
“Spring was good,” recalls Ashley. “We scrimmaged Chapel Hill at their place. We did not run our quarterback at all. He was not allowed to run, because were were trying to develop our passing game. It went well and that’s what you wanted out of two weeks. Then in the summer we really saw our growth.”
A high level of off-season participation has to delight Ashley, who has been head coach at Hampton since the program’s first season in 2014. The Hornets won just two games over their first four seasons. With the recent success, those days seemed to have been a long time ago.
"I remember when we opened up,” recalls Ashley. “We didn’t have a practice field, we only had a game field. Some days we were in the parking lot practicing, so we’ve come a long way since then. Our kids have bought in to the weight room, they bought into getting better and we are starting to see that come about .”
The Hornets’ two postseason trips have been bittersweet with first round loses to Perry in 2019 and Cedartown in 2021. Still Ashley sees progress and credits those disappointments with helping to shape a team that has started the season with three straight wins.
"Just them playing together and going through those bumps and bruises," recalls Ashley. "The Cedartowns, Perrys, and Marists … I think playing all those games got us to this point. If you are going to play Marist, you are going to get hit in the face … a lot. The year before (2020), it was 45-0 at half. We played them last year and it was 7-0 with three mins to go in the first half. Our kids have made a lot of gains but are still a work in progress. We got some pretty good skill players, so that helps. You have to have good players. They make us coaches look a lot smarter."
Central Carollton was the last of Hampton's non-region opponents. This week the rubber meets the road as the Hornets begin play in a challenging Region 5-4A that includes Pace Academy, Lovett, and Stockbridge. It starts with a visit from Woodland (Stockbridge) this Friday night. The coach feels like his squad should be ready.
"I really like the growth of our program and the trajectory, but we’ve got a tough region," says Ashley. "There are not cupcakes in our region, so we have to keep it going. We have a tough one coming up this Friday."
This week Football Fridays in Georgia will feature Parkview at North Gwinnett. It gets started at 7:30 p.m. on the Great GPB!
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