No opponent is too tough or moment too big for Calhoun freshman Trace Hawkins. The kid was born to be an athlete and born to be a Calhoun Yellow Jacket.

Hawkins burst onto the scene this past fall when he earned the starting quarterback job for the Calhoun football team. Not only did he excel, he helped lead the Yellow Jackets to their fifth state championship.

The freshman phenom was sensational in the title game going 16-of-25 passing for 184 yards to go along with 47 yards on the ground and one touchdown. A performance that earned him MVP honors inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

College coaches are flocking to Calhoun, GA. Hawkins already has a scholarship offer on the table from Auburn and plenty more to come. His humility and demeanor, instilled in him at a young age by his parents, has him handling the added attention similarly to how he plays sports – calm, cool, and collected.

You often hear people talk about athletes having the “it” factor. When they talk about those athletes, they talk about someone like Trace Hawkins. Because as it turns out, he’s just as good at basketball too.

The freshman transitioned seamlessly to the varsity hardwood where he earned first team all-region honors. The Yellow Jackets not only took home the regular season region title but cruised to the region tournament championship as well.

Hawkins isn’t the only state champ on the basketball roster though. He’s hoping his fellow teammates can take what they learned in their title run this past fall and apply it to these next few weeks.

The Yellow Jackets enter the GHSA 3A playoffs as the No. 4 overall seed. They play host to Jenkins on Wednesday in the first round at 6 p.m.

When asked what’s left to accomplish after winning a state football championship his freshman year, Hawkins replied, “I want to win one in basketball now.”