ATLANTA — As the seconds wound down in Calhoun’s 20-7 win over Jefferson in the GHSA Class AAA championship game Wednesday night, Hal Lamb watched with pride from the winning sideline.
The founding father of the version of the Yellow Jackets football program that has now earned four state titles since 2011, Lamb knows what it takes to build a consistent championship contender in Georgia. Retired from coaching since the 2018 season after 233 wins, eight trips to the state finals and 18 consecutive region championships in 20 seasons at Calhoun, he also understands it takes more than talent to get there.
The 2024 Yellow Jackets had their share of talent, too, but as Lamb pointed out while players, coaches and fans celebrated outside the locker room at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, it was a trait that all great teams share that propelled this one to the top.
Work ethic.
“There is some special talent in guys like (Texas signee) Emaree Winston and (freshman quarterback) Trace Hawkins, but the core of this football team is a group of hard-nosed kids who play really hard,” Lamb said, “and they never stop working.