Chester cornerback Hicks a hit on first football try

Last year, an assistant principal stopped by Chester (S.C.) High coach Maurice Flowers’ office with a kid in tow, a sophomore named K.D. Hicks.

“He was just walking the halls,” Flowers said today. “He had never played organized football, but the assistant principal told me he was an athlete.”

Flowers talked Hicks into coming out for football, and the latter showed up at spring practice.

“That first day, he was running one way and a pass was tipped,” Flowers said, laughing. “He reached back, pulled it in with one hand and ran it for a touchdown.

“At that moment, we knew that he was something special. You could just tell he was a great athlete.”

Before spring practice was over, Hicks, who is 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds with 4.4 speed, had locked up a starting cornerback job.

His first year of football—his 2009 junior season—produced nine interceptions, three of which K.D. returned for TDs. He also broke up seven more passes and finished with 48 tackles.

“He was aggressive and tough,” Flowers said, “But most important, he’s got a shot at any ball in his area. If it’s in the air, he has a chance to catch it.”

I’m adding Hicks to our football recruiting database today.

--Stan Olson