What to expect from the New Hampstead football team as Phoenix prepare for 2024 season

Kyle Hockman starts his sixth season leading the New Hampstead football program having transformed the Phoenix into one of the top teams in the Coastal Empire.

Last season, New Hampstead won its first playoff game under Hockman (and second in school history) as the Phoenix also hosted their first postseason contest — knocking off Westside Macon 42-12 in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs and closed out the season with a 6-5 record.

The Phoenix lost some talented players to graduation — including receiver Jaylen Hampton (Now at Western Kentucky), receiver Malachi Lonnon (Stetson), along with defensive linemen Kyron Anderson (Georgia Southern) and Aaziah Scott (Springfield College), along with four of five starters on the offensive line, but have a lot coming back.

Leading the way is senior Ra'Shawn Truell, who emerged as one of top quarterbacks in the state last season in his first year as a starter. He was named the All-Greater Savannah Offensive Player of the year after throwing for 38 touchdowns and 3,308 yards with six interceptions, while rushing for four more scores. He set a school record, passing for 533 yards with four touchdowns in a loss to Benedictine, and was named the co-winner of the Finocchiaro Award as the top player in Savannah with Calvary Day's Jake Merklinger, now at Tennessee.

"Ra'Shawn can change the plays at the line of scrimmage whenever he wants to," defensive coordinator/assistant head coach Rick Honaker said. "It's great when your best players are your smartest players."

Truell has offers including Bucknell, Arkansas State and Fort Valley State, and is looking forward to his senior campaign.

"I've got a lot of confidence coming into the season," Truell said. "I had never started a game until last year, but we accomplished a lot of our goals — including hosting and winning that playoff game. We want to go farther in the playoffs this year."

Truell will have a dangerous weapon returning in Kamari Maxwell, a senior who had 40 catches for 734 yards and nine touchdowns, while rushing for 294 yards and four more scores last season.

"Kamari can do anything we need in our offense, he's electric," Truell said of Maxwell, whose offers include Bucknell, Lehigh, Austin Peay, Kent State and Shorter University. "He runs great routes and makes big plays."

The Phoenix passing game will get a boost from incoming transfer Ben Hockman, the nephew of coach Kyle Hockman, who came from Santa Fe High School in Alachua, Florida. Ben Hockman joined the Phoenix in time to compete on the track and field team last spring and finished fifth in the Class 4A state meet in the 200 meters with a time of 21.69 seconds (his personal best is 21.59) and eighth in the 100 meters (10.79). The speedster has great hands and had 46 catches for 753 yards and four touchdowns last season. He has an offer from the University of Nevada.

Fullback Titus Honaker showed the ability to run between the tackles for tough yards in limited carries last season and is back for his junior year.

Defensively, the Phoenix return two key men in their front seven in linebacker Kamren Blake Mazes, who led the squad with 75 stops last year as a junior. Shaun Hamilton is also back for his senior season as the 6-foot-3, 240-pounder leads the defensive line. He has an offer from Charleston Southern.

The defensive backfield features junior Kamari Smart, Jawara Green and Messiah Worriels, who is returning from a knee injury, and Jaden Caldwell, who recently picked up an offer from Georgia State.

"We have some good players like Kamren (Blake Mazes), who is a sideline to sideline type guy," Hamilton said. "We haven't backed down from competition in the last few years and have trust in each other."

New Hampstead landed in Region 1-4A, considered by many to be the toughest in the state. The Phoenix will still be playing in the same region as Benedictine, along with 2023 Class 4A state champion Perry, Ware County, Warner Robins and Wayne County.

"Six of the teams we play this season have played in a state championship game in the last two years," Honaker said. "We know that there are no days off with our schedule."

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: What to expect from the New Hampstead football team as Phoenix prepare for 2024 season