STARKVILLE — Torin Hamilton found himself splitting time between offense and defense last season.
The Starkville Academy football player played center and defensive line as a junior and he learned quickly that playing both sides of the ball could take its toll. But as a senior, Hamilton didn’t have to split as much time between the two sides of the ball.
Hamilton played more defense this season for the Volunteers and he made the most of it. Hamilton had 124 tackles (14.0 for loss), 7.0 sacks and one forced fumble to earn the Dispatch’s Small School Defensive Player of the Year honor.
“It just clicked this year,” Hamilton said. “I got a lot more time playing on defense because last year I played more offense than I did defense because we had seniors that played more defense than offense. This year, it just clicked in that role.”
Hamilton still played offense at times this year, splitting time between tight end and offensive tackle, but he was used primarily at defensive end.
Hamilton was named one of four team captains — Dalton Dempsey, Drew Jackson and Carter Roach the others — before the season got underway. Hamilton didn’t take the role of captain lightly because it was something he said he wanted to do for a long time, especially after seeing how the captains led last season.
With so many departures from last season’s squad, Hamilton and the three other captains were ready to step up and do what was necessary to help the Volunteers.
“We all stood up and took on a big role and had a chip on our shoulder because we had to take the place of 18 people,” Hamilton said. “We went through spring camp together and it was a lot of bonding time. We felt like we were getting better and we were a lot better than people thought we were going to be.”
Starkville Academy finished 8-4 overall and lost 35-7 to Adams County Christian in the second round of the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class AAA playoffs.
Knowing he was going to play a bigger role on defense, Hamilton spent his summer preparing.
“I went to about five or six D-lineman camps and worked on a lot of end stuff,” Hamilton said. “A team building exercise at one camp and I feel like that helped with a lot of leadership and it helped me to be more aggressive and learn more about the position and learn that all 11 people have to be working on the same unit.”
Starkville Academy second-year coach Chase Nicholson said Hamilton was always talkative during and after practice. He never hesitated to ask him, defensive coordinator Brad Butler and defensive line coach Bubba Davis questions.
Nicholson saw Hamilton’s work ethic and attention to detail carry over onto the field.
“He’s worked hard and put in the time and he improved tremendously from last year to this year with his technique and understanding what’s going on and just overall work ethic,” Nicholson said. “He matured into a senior role. He did all the right things, so I wasn’t surprised at all. We saw it in the spring and in the summer, his work ethic and stuff.”
Hamilton said he has some interest from East Mississippi Community College and Belhaven, but they want him to gain more weight to stay at the defensive end position. If not, he could play tight end or safety at the next level.
Hamilton credited Davis for helping him get his name out by talking to schools.
Nicholson said Hamilton can play at the next level and it’s about finding the right fit for him.
“He was a big-time player, just his presence on the field,” Hamilton said. “A lot of stuff went away from him, which it helps in knowing where it’s going to go. He worked hard for three years to get in the situation where he could become a good player. He’s a big, strong kid, athletic kid, runs around good, makes a lot of tackles, makes a lot of plays, just a great presence on the field.”
After getting more time on the defensive side of the ball, Hamilton felt like he found the place he was supposed to play and he liked the outcome.
“It’s where I feel like I’m better at and I like playing it a whole lot more. I just feel like I like it better and when you like something better you do a lot better at it,” Hamilton said.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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