Peachtree Ridge Will Be Led By Their Elite Secondary & QB in 2024

Peachtree Ridge is coming off their first 10-win season since 2009 and one of their best playoff finishes since 2016. The Lions are a talented bunch on both sides of the ball, but it starts with their secondary, one of their best units heading into 2024.

The secondary for Peachtree Ridge will be elite.There are so many guys on the back end who can play.

It starts with Dorian Barney.

Barney can flat-out cover andcantake away the opposingteamsbest receiver.It will be interesting to seein marquee gamesif the Lions will let him follow the opposingteamsbest player or stick to the scheme they have implemented.He is physical at the top of the route and hasgreatclosing speed on the ball. I expect him to have amajorseason and stuff the stat sheet.

Another key player to watch is three-star Osiris Gilbert,who isa playmaker on the backend. Similar to Barneyhewas making plays in practice. King Thomas is another one who willmanthe slot and will be a versatile asset for the Lions.Last butnot least is Tristen Hill.Hill can come downand laya big hit and play the ball equallyas well.Wherever you look in the secondary, there is a guy.

It might sound a little cockybut Illput our secondary up against anybody in the state. We have Dorian Barney, who is a top corner in the country. Tyson Sanfordonthe othersideran a 10.8 last week. He started last year as a sophomore. King Thomas is playing nickel,said head coach Matt Helmerich.

Hesgot offers and is in the class of 2026. Tristen Hill has offers and is in the class of 2026. Osiris Gilbert ran a 10.6 in trackand hesgot22 offers, sothatsyour back five. Right now, I think that is the strength of our team. Those guys are playingreallywell.

Dorian is long. He gets ityouknow.Heis in and out of his breaks, reading the ball and theroutes,and reading the quarterback. I was lucky enough to coach Asante Samuel back in the dayandhe was probably the smartest cornerIveever coached. I put Dorian right behind him at 1B or two,said Helmerich.

Hesjust sodangsmart and has a nose for the football.Pleasantlysurprised last year as he got stronger, played physical and came up and popped people when he was breaking on a route for a receiver or even helping out in the run game. Same with Osiris. He is510and a half pounds at 166 pounds. Not the biggest guy in the worldbut hesa 4.4 kid that can fly.Playswith a chip on his shoulder.Hesfastand hesnot afraid to hit either. You have guys like that in the secondary that can fly around and be physical. You got something good.

Darnell Kelly is an elite quarterback.

Hesnot ranked yet but has made a lot of top quarterback lists in the state. One of his best throws on the day came towards the end of practice. The ones were running against the ones on defense.It was a tight windowand nota lot ofspace to fit the ballinbetween the slot corner and the safety coming down.Kelly fit it in perfectly and hit the receiver right in the hands.

Darnell Kelly is our gunslinger back thereand hespretty darn good. Everybody knows about him. He works his butt off in the weight room.Ivehad somereally goodquarterbacks in the pastandIdontthink they mind me saying this because they know it. They did not like the weight room,said Helmerich.Hesin there benching 230+ and loves power cleaning. Hedoesntshy away from squats.Hesput on somereally goodweight this year, andhes definitelygottena lot faster.He startedoffthe year in track and ran mid-11s in the 100, which ispretty darngood for a taller quarterback.He can run. His development over the last 12 months has beenreally impressive.

Some underrated guys on the defensive line to watch are Zachiah Deville and Ryan Gaudin. Deville made several plays through the Lions' scrimmage at the endincludinga TFL. Heplaysin the interior of the defensive line and was also great in drills during practice. The other is Ryan Gaudinwhohad a sack on Kelly and showcased his motor throughout the day. Their roles will be huge next seasonespeciallyif they can create pressure and force quarterbacks into bad decisions.

Peachtree Ridge will havea lot ofdepth at the running back position. The Lions are known as a passing team but havea lot ofplayers who can play at the running back position. Bryce Green was running with the first teamandJustyn Davis was another that caught my eye, especially with his chiseled frame. He has no hesitation and is a downhill runner and getsto the second level quickly and is tough to bring down

We returned all of our running backs from last year. Justyn Davis is probably our best-looking guy coming out of the weight room.Hesyoked up. Bryce Green was fabulous todaycatchingpasses out of the backfield and finding the hole.Hesgot a burst,said Helmerich.

Another class of 2026. Sedric Addison is a little banged up from the track. He was a starting running back last year.Hesclass of 2026. Another guyNateCrowniestartedas a sophomore two years ago.Thatsa pretty good room.Theyvebeen working hard.Ilike to see them challenging each other. You knowmostlywe are a one-back team and everything.We toss the ball around alittlebit, so those guys arereallyfighting for spots right now.

Helmerich was also impressed with his offensive line and how some of his young players in the receiver room stepped up.

It was good to see some of the guys on the offensive line step upa little bit.Werea little young therebut theyvebeen fighting,said Helmerich.We got some young receiversthat arecoming out here and balling. Kobe Hoax, another class of 2026.With his athleticism, speed and jumpingabilityhe catches everything. Wethink the world of him. I think thesky'sthe limit for him too.

Wide receiver will continue to be a position to watch.RaraThomas gota lot ofplay on defense yesterday and will play on both sides next season. Another name that caught my eye was Julian Kendrick. Kendrick made plays throughout the day and was a reliable target for Kelly. He was winning hisoneone-on-one matchups and showed he could be a playmaker for the Lions next season.

Peachtree Ridge will play against the Milton Eagles in their spring scrimmage next Friday in one of the most highly anticipated spring games matchesin the state.

I dontknow how good an idea it is now to see that they return 95% of their team, but I want to see where we are after spring.Itsa good measuring stick. We want to play the best and beat the best. Rightnowthey are the best in Georgia coming off a state championship yearandmost of their best players arecoming back,said Helmerich.

Itsgoing tobe a good challenge to see where we are physically. They have some big oledudesand added another tight endsothey got the most tight ends in history on one team with FBS offers.Ivenever seen anything like it. Of course, they have a quarterback and kids that can run. They have somereally toughkids. It will be a good test. We will see where we are next week.