On Campus: Aiken Hornets

Kyle Dawson June 2, 2026 @ 10:00 AM

AIKEN | Spring No. 2 under Steve Hibbitts is now in the books for Aiken High's football program, and both players and coaches alike have felt a 180-degree turn in terms of attitude for a program that's learning how to build trust and close out ball games.   In past seasons, as late mistakes led to extended losing streaks, some of the more seasoned members of the team seemed numb and almost unbothered by defeats. That made players like rising senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='1530765' first='Darius' last='Walker'] stand out for taking those losses personally.   That attitude has become contagious, and it showed after the Hornets' spring game when the players on the losing side were quick to point out that, while it was a good few weeks of spring practice, it didn't end the way they wanted.   "The past few weeks, we have built a great foundation," Walker said. "It's been so great being able to come around here and teach the young guys, as an upcoming senior, and just to be able to be a leader for my guys, like, learning a new playbook, learning from Coach Hibbitts and everybody, it's been great. It's been a great few weeks, and we just ended up on a great spring game. Not the outcome I wanted, but I'm blessed to be able to wake up every day and play this sport."   Aiken started the 2025 season with back-to-back wins before dropping its next eight, but that was still enough for the Hornets' first multi-win season since 2021. Aiken showed plenty of promise, with a lot of young talent returning for 2026, so now Hibbitts sees it as their time to show what they gleaned from last year's tough lessons.   Rising seniors like Walker, [player_tooltip player_id='1054957' first='Gray' last='Kitchings'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1274484' first='Zion' last='Lewie'] all had big spring seasons and are primed to be team leaders in their final seasons at Aiken. [player_tooltip player_id='1840741' first='Johnny' last='Dobbs'] is a rising sophomore who looks and plays like a seasoned veteran, and rising junior offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1840771' first='Darrenton' last='Jones'] is riding a surge of positive momentum that Hibbitts expects to pay off in terms of college offers soon.   [player_tooltip player_id='1467819' first='Brandon' last='Poston'] already has made a splash in that department, and he's looking to build on an abbreviated season during which he posted eight sacks and 20 tackles for loss. [player_tooltip player_id='1840750' first='Jayden' last='Merriweather'] also returns to the defensive line after an All-Region season that included 15 tackles for loss. Wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1614255' first='Allen' last='Cummings'] is back from Midland Valley for his senior season, and Hibbitts expects him to be a matchup nightmare on the outside across from steady, reliable veteran [player_tooltip player_id='1840715' first='Tarrant' last='McKenzie'].   That's all good news for quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1853105' first='Tanner' last='Padgett'] after a positive spring, and a potential new weapon has emerged in newcomer CJ Bush at receiver. And, when in doubt, there's plenty of options to run the football, like Padgett, Walker and a rising sophomore in [player_tooltip player_id='1840730' first='Michael' last='Francis'] who had a breakout freshman campaign before missing some time due to injury.   The post-spring keys for Aiken are to build some depth on the offensive line while continuing to learn how to finish games. The summer schedule is loaded with camps and competitions, and by late August it will be time for the Hornets to prove what they've learned from it.   "I say with Coach Hibbitts coming here and the new coaching staff, it's been a whole different environment," Walker said. "My high school career, I've been through three, four head coaches in my four years. With Coach Hibbitts coming in, being the great head coach that he is, being able to teach us and to get us the weight room, do team bonding, get us out on the field, do things on the right way, really absorb everything. I just feel like we have a great season ahead of us, and the future is going to be great for Aiken High."

AIKEN | Spring No. 2 under Steve Hibbitts is now in the books for Aiken High's football program, and both players and coaches alike have felt a 180-degree turn in terms of attitude for a program that's learning how to build trust and close out ball games.