SOCCER OF THE YEAR: Caleb Downs of Mill Creek | sports

Whereas Mill Creek head coach Josh Lovelady and his associates respect these achievements, he embraces a unique legacy about this system’s most recruited participant and Georgia’s #1 prime participant—how the Alabama Crimson Tide signer received up to now.

“What’s distinctive to me about his legacy is what we will take from him (with future gamers) and share it,” Lovelady mentioned. “As an athlete and an actor, it is extra about getting there, the method. Children can now ask Siri something on their cell phone or ask the definition of any phrase on their telephone. They need all the pieces to be that simple, that fast, and that is mirrored within the children. “They wish to be a complete state. They wish to be a college candidate. They wish to weigh that a lot. However they don’t seem to be affected person. They do not perceive all of the work about it. I feel that is his legacy. It should be essential what he does off the sphere and the way he shapes himself.”

The 1.80-foot, 190-pounder — a five-star safety by all main recruiting providers — missed solely two summer time follow periods throughout his 4 years in highschool and labored intently with Lovelady early within the calendar 12 months to ensure no school visits had been missed. Do not intrude with Hawks’ coaching and 7v7 schedule. He studied the movies of Mill Creek’s rivals so intensely on his personal that he led the crew probably the most hours at Hudl in every season of his highschool profession.

Downs graduated a semester early from Mill Creek with a GPA of about 4.0, and her coaches are impressed by her deal with what issues, instilled by her dad and mom, Gary, long-time school soccer coach, and Tanya, a instructor at Peachtree Ridge. It additionally adopted the 2 older siblings’ dedications to teachers and athletics—sister Kam, who performs school soccer at Kennesaw State, is on her option to a profession in drugs, and her brother Josh, a North Carolina-wide receiver, is a predicted first. Spherical decide within the 2023 NFL Draft.

“Caleb is means past his age by way of maturity,” Lovelady mentioned. “He received his ass up in his craft. He’s a extremely tutorial boy. He’s at all times at work. He was at all times there at youth camp, passing with the children. He may very well be doing one thing else. His telephone was ringing and ringing and ringing and he mentioned ‘these are school coaches. However he was there, supporting us. He was on the Management Council and at all times supported us in neighborhood service. … His legacy is not going to be outlined by what he did to me between the traces. It was to see contained in the day by day work he did on and off the sphere and the character he did it with.”

Nonetheless, what Downs did on the soccer subject was fairly particular.

He began as a freshman in his sophomore 12 months of Mill Creek, had 50 steals and the crew’s greatest 5 tackles, and was the chief there for 4 seasons, delivering turnovers, exceptional hits, and a gradual presence in security. As a senior on the AAAAAAA Class state championship crew, he made 83 tackles and returned two of his 4 tackles for a aim. 18 profession tackles and 7 profession defensive tank destroyers, each faculty information.

On offense, he had 821 yards and 24 touchdowns in 97 touchdowns. He hardly ever left the sphere for a crew that gained the primary 4 state playoff video games in working hours as a result of rule of mercy after which doubled Carrollton 70-35 within the state finals.

“I by no means wish to be on the sidelines and never make an affect,” Downs mentioned. “I felt that this was what I needed to do. I would not need it to be every other means.”

Downs was liable for seven offensive TDs in simply 29 offensive touches (4 offenses, two tackles, one go) as a teen, however his function was much more important this season in an offense that had probably the most productive seasons within the state’s historical past with the 712. factors, a median of 47.5 per recreation. The Hawks’ 712 factors are the sixth most scored by a highschool soccer crew in state historical past, in response to information from the Georgia Excessive College Soccer Historians Affiliation.

As Downs ran again, he noticed snaps out and in of the receiver and the wildcat quarterback – “he is aware of our assault inside and outside,” mentioned Lovelady – rushed 398 yards and 57 instances for 20 TDs and caught 36 passes for 422 and three TDs. He additionally threw the tank destroyer go.

As a rule, he was a particular defensive standout who opened up alternatives for others.

“She wasn’t frightened about contact,” Lovelady mentioned. “It would block for you.”

Throughout his profession, his recreation was additionally seen by his opponents.

“Caleb, he is a canine,” mentioned Ohio State signatory North Gwinnett protection officer Kayden McDonald. “I feel he is the most effective within the nation. We educated collectively. We performed youth collectively. We performed in opposition to one another. He is the toughest working. He’ll do nice issues in Alabama.”

All of this goes again to Downs’ preparation as a part of why they anticipate school coaches to contribute instantly subsequent.

“His intelligence, his soccer IQ (that is what school coaches actually appreciated),” Lovelady mentioned. “All through the hiring course of, I talked to coaches who had been shocked by his intelligence to know the schemas once they began speaking ball with him. (The coaches mentioned) intelligence base is likely to be probably the most game-ready, Energy 5 boy by way of its basis. Coming from highschool to school and his soccer IQ is already that of a (school) sophomore. The training curve will not be that steep as soon as he learns. And their instincts are elite.”

Downs graduated highschool early to make a splash in his school profession in Alabama, which allowed him to affix the Crimson Tide for bowling follow and spring follow.

“I feel being within the subject (as a freshman) will give me the most effective probability of studying the playbook and all that stuff,” Downs mentioned when enrolling in Alabama for the spring time period.

In January, he begins school courses, recognizing how his highschool has ready him for this stage each athletically and academically.

“I performed in a fantastic tradition in highschool,” Downs mentioned. “I used to be taught a great plan, a fantastic program, by nice coaches. The (Mill Creek’s) touchstone is an enormous a part of who I’m at the moment. I’m joyful to have lived all of the experiences I’ve had there.”

His final subject expertise, a dominant win within the state finals, was the proper captain for his highschool profession.

“It was large as a result of we have by no means gained earlier than,” Downs mentioned. “It was like 4 years paid off, nice timing. I am proud of the way it all ended. … Everybody was very joyful (in school) and really joyful that we gained, ‘You’ll make historical past since you did it first.’ It was a fantastic expertise.”