Most high school fans in metro Atlanta think of boys basketball when the topic is South Atlanta High School.
Under veteran coach Michael Reddick, the Hornets won state basketball titles in 2017 and in 2009, when they were led by McDonald’s All-American Derrick Favors, who is now in the NBA.
But after a signature 22-14 victory against then-No. 7 Pace Academy on Oct. 9, the Hornets football program is in line for its first region championship in a history that dates to 1994. The Hornets can clinch Region 6-2A and a No. 1 seed in the state tournament with victories against KIPP Atlanta Collegiate and Columbia in their final two regular-season games.
For context, the Hornets went from 1996-2018 without a winning season.
“We’ll feel legendary if we (win region),” senior receiver Jalin Young said, “because we’d be the first and only (South Atlanta) team that’s done that. I feel like we’re still an unknown beast. We’re still up and coming and people have got us on the dark side, but we’re going to come to light soon. We’re going to be known.”
The Hornets are playing with confidence and a sense of belonging in the region-title conversation with Buckhead private-school powerhouses Lovett and Pace Academy, both of which re-classified from Class 3A.
A lot of the Hornets' success can be attributed to the culture that coach Brad Stephens has built since arriving in 2016. An assistant for nearly 20 years, Stephens sought to become a first-time head coach and twice was turned down before South Atlanta rolled the dice.
“He’s developed the entire program,” said Reddick, South Atlanta’s athletic director who said he’ll forego coaching in what would have been his 23rd season for the boys basketball team amid COVID-19 concerns. “He’s organized a practice routine, and you could see right away that something special was in the works. Our (football) history hasn’t been very strong in the last 20 years, but with the work he’s doing, the plan is in place and if everyone sticks with it, you can see big things coming.”
The season before Stephens arrived, the Hornets were 1-9. After going 3-7 his first season, they finished the 2017 regular season 5-5 and qualified for the state playoffs for the first time since 1994. They’ve qualified for the playoffs each season since and are coming off their first back-to-back winning seasons since 1994-95.
The Hornets have increased their victory total in every season since Stephens arrived, setting the program record for wins last year at 7-4. Currently, they’re 5-3.
“Each year we try to improve in the win column,” Stephens said. “I think what got us where we’re at is the relationships we’ve built with the kids. If you’re consistent, if you’re structured and you’ve built a good relationship, they’ll do anything for you. When I first got here, the structure wasn’t there. Now, I can blow a whistle in practice and every kid knows where to go, because we do it the same way every day.”
“We’re a big family,” said junior Anthony Mitchell, a two-way starter at linebacker and running back who suffered a season-ending injury in the Hornets' 20-19 victory against Washington on Sept. 25. “We’re all just really good friends and we’re working really well together.”
Reddick is starting to see the long-term benefits of Stephens' program, now in its fifth season.
“We’ve always had a lot of really good middle-school athletes, but a lot of them don’t make it to South Atlanta because they were football players,” Reddick said. “They weren’t always feeding straight into our program. So for our football team to start winning, the kids can be confident that they can come here and be a part of a successful program. That’s special to us, and it means a lot.”
For the Hornets to set another program record for victories, they’ll need to accomplish another first for the program: win a state playoff game. Last season they came close, losing 19-15 at Union County as a No. 3 seed.
Mitchell sees a postseason victory as destiny.
“We’re winning region this year, definitely,” he said. “And we’re going to the second round, at least.”
