Prospect Finder: Tracking Cherokee County Prospects

Here are a few prospects from each public school in Cherokee County who are turning heads during the first half of the season.   Cherokee    Hamilton has already eclipsed the 500-yard mark on the season and is averaging close to 8 yards a touch. Some might overlook him due to his size, but his 11.1 speed and scrappiness as a runner allow him to compensate. He is built into his frame with muscle and has good contact balance. His motor is hot and feet are active, helping him restart runs and bounce the ball back across the formation if needed. There's plenty of athletic juice in his small frame, which has led him to high production through the start of his junior season.     Kayson Simmons is the most productive defender on the Cherokee defense and screams D1 LB prospect on tape. Simmons is long, well-built, and versatile enough to stand up and rush off the edge. Simmons is physical, greeting blockers with violence and pop in his pads. Every rep ends in violent contact, helping Simmons make the most of his traits. He is shockingly underrated and a clear D1 LB prospect.    Creekview    Penrod is a two-way player for Creekview who makes the gears turn on both sides of the ball. He is a stout, muscled-up, explosive prospect with impressive burst and short-area quickness. He is the best yard creator offensively and has the drive off the line to set up routes. Defensively, where he likely projects, he beautifully leverages the ball and explodes downhill. He is tough as well, clubbing a hand and still getting on the field for his senior year. Penrod makes the most out of each rep and should get a shot at a small school.     There's not a lot of tape out there right now, but Lott exploded for 171 yards and 3 TDs against Lassiter, while averaging 8.6 YPC. He is providing the Grizzlies with much-needed pop in the run game and looks to be a pretty elusive player in the backfield. I am intrigued to see more reps as the year goes on. He is doing a good job of making a name for himself.    Etowah    Walker Hughes competed at our PRZ 7v7 circuit this offseason. There, he played with energy and consistently made spectacular plays through traffic. This fall, his ball skills and fantastic body control are translating. He is a trusted "go up and get it" receiver with good enough movement skills to tie the rest of his game together. I am a big fan of his game and excited to see how he develops.     Hendrix is a big, athletic defender on the defensive front for Etowah who has lived in the backfield through the first part of the season. His athleticism helps him win at the top of his rush. He has the pursuit skills to chase the football around the field as well. There is plenty of room to fill out and add more play strength, which will help him grow into more of a speed-to-power threat.    River Ridge    Vincent is a versatile player for River Ridge, doing most of his damage as the leading receiver up to this point in the season. He also takes some handoffs in the backfield and flips around to play safety. Vincent is a well-developed prospect with some horsepower as a mover. He is explosive when changing direction and can power through contact. With his size and physicality, he might project long-term as a safety, but he is still dangerous with the ball in his hands.     Here is a note on Andrew Rowe from earlier this month:   "Andrew Rowe is a sleeper out of River Ridge who has been highly productive against the ball through a few weeks, totaling 3 INTs and several PBUs. His ball skills are fantastic, and he has proven capable of creating takeaways while laying out for the ball and climbing the ladder. He is a good athlete, checks the frame boxes for a DB, and remains patient in coverage to float around the top of routes. Given his size, age, and production, Rowe should continue receiving buzz, given proper exposure."    Sequoyah    Jack Ripley has emerged as a big-time receiver this fall for Sequoyah, helping the Chiefs elevate their game even more. He is a big, athletic receiver with plenty of length and room to grow into himself. His body control is beyond impressive, plucking the ball over his head and picking it off the turf as well. His catch radius down the field is big, and he has enough juice athletically to threaten the shorter areas of the field. Definitely an intriguing senior sleeper elevating his stock this fall.     Darling plays both ways for Sequoyah and has an argument to be the most well-rounded football player in Cherokee County. His traits aren't going to catch your eye, but his execution and feel for the game certainly do. He has an outstanding feel for space as a receiver, and as a defender, he is always in the right spot. He has the ball skills and just enough juice athletically to execute when given the opportunity.    Woodstock    Here's a 7v7 note I have on Hubbard from back in February:   "Rylan Hubbard was the most sure-handed pass catcher this weekend. Much to the dismay of opposing players and coaches, if the ball went his way, he almost always came down with it. He does an excellent job boxing out and protecting the catch pocket. He has spectacular spatial awareness, sneaking into soft spots in the middle of the field and showing QBs his chest. Hubbard is a natural plucker with a multi-sport background. It will be a big fall for him and I suspect he will garner more targets this fall."   Fast forward to the fall, and Hubbard is one of the most productive receivers in Cherokee County.     I wanted to loop back on [player_tooltip player_id='1660212' first='Trace' last='Washington'], one of my favorite 2027 LB prospects in the state. He now has a Penn State offer, launching him into national recruiting buzz. Here is a note on him from back in June:   "[player_tooltip player_id='1660212' first='Trace' last='Washington']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/trace-washington-2/"></a> is a speedy second-level defender who has turned some heads this fall. He impressed me first on the T/F scene, running an 11.2 in the 100M. Then, he ran under 11.00, which got P4 schools interested. The major question surrounding Washington is his size. Regardless, he is a pure run-and-chase defender with plenty of range and the speed to hawk the ball down across the field. As a sophomore, he created chaos when the ball came his way. I was on him really early. If he doesn't go P4 out of HS, he will likely get a crack at the FBS level. He is simply just too dynamic of a size/speed prospect. He still has time to pack on weight."   Note: Washington now runs sub-11 in the 100M.

Here are a few prospects from each public school in Cherokee County who are turning heads during the first half of the season.