Hampton County looking to reload and find depth for 2025 season

By Neill Kirkpatrick

Special to the HSSR

Varnville – The Hampton County Hurricane football team has gone 20-5/7-1 since their inception in 2023 and like all schools they have graduated some talented players the past two years with several going to play in college so spring practice 2025 was about creating depth and finding new leaders.

“Heading into spring practice we were looking to increase our eighth-grade participation and find depth throughout the lineup,” said head coach Rob Hanna. “We had a total of 66 guys participate in spring practices. With spring sports going on we were able to get in 14 practices with six being in pads. The guys worked hard and got better with each practice.”

The Hurricanes will have to replace two of their leader from the past years in quarterback Chris Terry on offense and outside linebacker Mandrell Sanders on defense.

“Both Chris and Mandrell did everything right for the past three years so it is tough to lose players like that from your team. They showed the commitment, drive and passion to their teammates and taught the young guys how to do it the right way,” said coach Hanna.

Two juniors that are battling it out for the starting quarterback job are Tarell Grant and Jayvin Risher. They are both dynamic players that bring a different skill set to the Hurricanes offenses as they can make plays with their feet and score any time they have the ball. Grant has a strong arm and made a lot of progress during spring ball. Last season Grant had a team high 10 passes defended and made 29 tackles.

“Tarell is an electric player with a totally different skill set then we had the past three years. He throws the ball very well and has the ability to take any play for a TD with his legs. He is one of the best athletes on the team,” coach Hanna said.

Risher was the team’s second leading rusher last season with over 700 yards to go with 11 touchdowns. Defensively, he had 40 tackles and tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with 12. Coach said he is a true running back and the offense runs a little different when he is behind center.

Wide receiver Karinton Sabb is a new weapon on the outside for the Hurricanes and he looked good during spring.

Along the offensive line right tackle Ty'Quavian Jones adds depth to the offensive line while Cleavon Maxwell stood out at outside linebacker.

“We are excited about this group of seniors and excited to be in year three of the program. We have been fortunate to win a lot of games in years one and two and hope we can continue to push towards being one of the best 2A programs in the state. We started a couple freshman and a lot of sophomores last season and hope that pays off for us the next couple of years,” said coach Hanna.