Class 3A Football Blog: Calhoun’s rising sophomore leads favorited Yellow Jackets; A region-by-region look at Triple-A

Calhoun’s phenom quarterback Trace Hawkins officially ended his freshman campaign’s scoring productivity with a 21-yard run with 5:11 left in the first quarter of the Yellow Jackets’ 20-7 victory against Jefferson in the Class 3A championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium last season.

Calhoun relied on field goals from Carlos Lopez in the second and third quarters to keep the Dragons at bay after a three-yard touchdown run by quarterback Gavin Markey.

It marked the first state title for head coach Clay Stephenson and the fifth overall for Calhoun.

Now, with a state title title under his belt and entering his sophomore season, Hawkins is powering the Yellow Jackets to a likely top-ranking when the Score Atlanta preseason football poll is released in the coming days.

Calhoun is not shying away from higher-classed competition in their pre-region schedule, much like last season when the Yellow Jackets fell to 1-3 before rallying through a rather weak Region 7 play to enter the playoffs with a 7-3 region. Calhoun fell to Creekview 17-10, Cartersville 35-13 and Cambridge 31-19 with a 28-20 victory against Westminster.

The Yellow Jackets open this year against Class 5A Creekview at home on August 15 and then face road trips to Class 4A Westminster on August 29 and Class 4A Cartersville on September 5. The Yellow Jackets will host Class 4A Cambridge on September 12 before entering Region 7 play.

Hawkins is a speedy, dual-threat quarterback and at 6-foot-0 and 167-pounds, he has much room for growth and development. He’s not yet been awarded a star-rating on the recruiting websites, but that is likely to change. As a Class of 2028 graduate, Hawkins has several years of experience to gain but has interest from Auburn, Duke, Florida and Georgia State to name a few.

2024 Region Champions

1. Peach County; 2. Sandy Creek; 3. Calvary Day; 4. Harlem; 5. Stephenson; 6. North Hall; 7. Calhoun; 8. Jefferson

2025 Region Alignments

Region 1

Peach County

Westover

Cairo

Monroe

Bainbridge

Dougherty

Region 2

Sandy Creek

LaGrange

Upson-Lee

Whitewater

Spalding

Troup County

Mary Persons

Trinity Christian

Fayette County

Region 3

Calvary Day School

Jenkins

Southeast Bulloch

Long County

Liberty County

Beach

Johnson-Savannah

Windsor Forest

Groves

Islands

Region 4

Harlem

West Laurens

Westside-Augusta

Baldwin

Aquinas

Howard

Richmond Academy

Hephzibah

Cross Creek

Region 5

Douglass-Atlanta

Stephenson

Luella

Cedar Grove

Mt. Zion-Jonesboro

North Clayton

Riverdale

Stone Mountain*

Region 6

North Hall

Lumpkin County

Chestatee

Greater Atlanta Christian

Pickens

Dawson County

White County

Johnson-Gainesville

Region 7

Calhoun

Northwest Whitfield

Heritage-Catoosa

Adairsville

Gilmer

Ridgeland

LaFayette

Region 8

Cherokee Bluff

Jefferson

Oconee County

Monroe Area

East Hall

West Hall

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