Sophomore Standouts: Sack Leaders

Defensively, outside of interceptions, and tackles, the sack category happens to be one of the most popular statistics in all of football. So much so that in all levels of play, including high school, college, and professional football, fans of the game are always on watch for a prospect to break a record, or burst on the scene within this category. Specifically, some of last year's sophomores, who were mostly puppies to the high school game of football, managed to step up, and make a name for themselves, and put their name on Georgia High School football fans' watchlists going into next year. Below, feel free to take some time to read up on some of our top sophomore sack leaders from last season. <strong>Clark Jackson-</strong> <em>Aquinas</em> Out of all of the sophomore defensive players in the state last year, Jackson led the entire state in tackles, with 17 total sacks. Even more impressive, he managed to do so as a LB, who also split time on the offensive side of the football. If this isn't enough to convince you he is worth tracking going into next season, maybe the fact that he also leads all sophomores in the state within this category by a 5 sack margin. To add to this, he was also putting up a decent amount of production on the offensive side of the ball. On offense, Jackson rushed for 491 yards, with an average of 7.9 yards an attempt, and 1 TD. In the 2022 season, look out for Jackson to be a dual threat for Aquinas, helping to elevate his recruiting stock. <strong>Kamren Reese-</strong> <em>Stockbridge</em> Second place in this category belongs to Kamren Reese, who happens to be an emerging DE for Stockbridge. By the time the 2021 season came to a close, Reese totaled 12 sacks, putting him in second place for his class by only 1 sack. Regardless, Reese saw a fair amount of production for his team last season as he also had 54 total tackles all season, with an average of 5.4 tackles a game over the 5 games in which he played. In addition to this, Reese also totaled around 12 tackles for a loss, with 1 fumble, and 1 safety. If this is any indicator of what is to come as he develops as a player, you can sign us up as we keep track of his production. <strong>Eric Brantley-</strong> <em>Valdosta</em> Due to the fact that Valdosta High has been known to produce countless stellar players on both sides of the ball each year, it should come as no surprise that Brantley has already shown glimpses, and flashes of potential for his team. Last season, he came in third out of his entire class in sack totals, with 11 sacks. With this though, he also totaled around 66 tackles the entire season, with about 49 of them being solo tackles. Due to this high level of production, Brantley also totaled around 7.3 tackles a game, with 1 fumble, and 12 QB hurries. Next season, as Brantley will likely evolve in his ability to rush the passer as a DE, we have no doubt that his physical characteristics will continue to develop, and he will see a jump in each of his season totals. <strong>Darion Smith-</strong> <em>Appling</em> Smith, coming from Appling County, also had a successful season in 2021, and proved to flash for a young player. Not only did he tie Brantley as third place in the state in sacks- with 11 sacks- but he also put up a great amount of production as a whole on the defensive side of the ball. Smith totaled 74 tackles by the end of the season, with about 35 of them being solos, putting him at an average of 5.7 tackles a game. In addition to this, Smith also caused 2 fumbles, and recovered 1 as well, proving that he already has a good awareness of the game of football. <strong>Chase Kerns-</strong> <em>Southwest Dekalb</em> While Kerns sack total may be a bit of a drop off from Smith, his 8.5 total sacks are still impressive from a player his age. Out of Southwest Dekalb, Chase Kerns played in about 6 games last year, and already managed to make an impact for his defense. Throughout the season, he averaged around 1.4 sacks a game, and he also caused a loss of about 28 yards all season. By the end of the year, Kerns also totaled 32 tackles all season, with an average of 5.3 tackles a game. In 2022, as he continues to develop as a player, look for him to begin to take on a more serious role for his team's defense.