Tianna Lawson, Caleb Hamilton sign Letters of Intent

For the past 10 years Atlanta High School has been one of the top schools in the region, if not the top school overall, in student-athletes signing Letters of Intent to extend their educational background and playing career to college campuses.

Last week, Mar. 16, seniors Tianna Lawson and Caleb Hamilton signed their letters with their respective colleges surrounded by family, friends, coaches and administrators.

Lawson will play volleyball for Southwestern Christian University in Bethany, Okla., and Hamilton will play football for Avila University in Kansas City, Mo.

Lawson was named the Most Valuable Offensive Player this season. Lawson was an important piece of the puzzle as the Lady Rabbs won its first bi-district title in 14 years.

Hamilton battled injuries in both his junior and senior seasons but still turned in electrifying results when he touched the ball.

Coach Matt McClure had this to say about Hamilton as a player, him signing with Avila University and what discipline he should have received for breaking ankles on the ball field.

“Coach (Dave) Allen used to say, ‘are you ready for a touchdown?’ and I said, ‘yeah’ and he said, ‘I’m going to put Hamilton in’. When he was young we knew what he brought to the table and he emerged on the scene his sophomore year,” McClure said. “At that time we had Jawan (King) there who would later sign with Rice and when we would put Caleb in he’d go score and then when we put him a few plays later he’d reel off some really big runs. He had the luxury of not having to carry the ball 20 to 30 times a game.”

“Caleb is extremely electric with his hands and when he has the ball in his hands. I think he can play multiple spots like running back and receiver,” McClure added. “I think Avila is going to utilize him a lot. I think whenever he has the ball in his hands a lot of excitement goes on.”

Hamilton was, and still is, known for his ability to stop on a dime when running and making opponents miss.

That is known as breaking ankles no matter the sport.

When I asked Coach McClure if Hamilton was ever disciplined for breaking ankles this is what coach had to say.

“Yeah he probably needed to be. I know he had several instances where he made players miss him on tackling assignments in that third round of the playoffs over at Pine Tree against Mt. Vernon a few years ago,” McClure remarked. “A player from Mt. Vernon had a great setup to tackle him and all of a sudden that player was on the ground and Caleb is still running. We liked to re-run that video footage quite a bit.”

When asked what Avila is receiving as far as Hamilton’s versatility Coach McClure said, “Versatility-wise I think for his size he’s very durable and he has speed that he can go the distance if he wants. A lot of backs don’t have that. His ability to catch the ball in the backfield is great so he provides a lot for Avila to use when he gets there.”

Although Coach McClure didn’t coach volleyball or girls’ basketball he still attended the games and was able to watch Tianna Lawson grow as a student-athlete over the past few years.

“I always thought Tianna was a very explosive player. You could see her jumping ability in both volleyball and basketball,” McClure said. “She had tons of potential and showcased that and I’m glad to see her take that potential to the next level.

“She is a great multi-sport athlete who played volleyball, basketball and ran track,” McClure added. “She carries her own versatility with her like Caleb. We encourage kids here in Atlanta to play more than one sport and feel a huge part of our successes across all sports platforms have been because of that.”