Calvary Day's Jalen Hicks' comeback from injury earned special honor

Jalen Hicks Calvary Day receiver.

"I wasn't able to play in spring practices, but I was back for padded camps in the summer and our first scrimmage," Hicks said. "I wasn't worried when I got back on the field ― I was excited, because I trusted all the work I did."

That hard work paid off for Hicks, who put together a season to remember. The 5-foot-10, 190-pounder caught 63 passes, just three off the school record, for 838 yards and five touchdowns and ran for 84 yards and five more scores to earn All-Greater Savannah first-team honors. He was a star on a Calvary Day squad that reached the Class A-3A Private School Championship game, where the Cavs were lost to Hebron Christian 28-21 in a game played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

"I remember when the injury happened, Jalen didn't want to leave the field," Calvary Day coach Jason Cameron said. "And then after he went through the surgery, he just attacked the rehab process from Day One. He's a dynamic receiver with his physical ability, but his intelligence might be his best attribute. He's a precise route runner who understands schemes and how to get into open space. And when he goes up for a ball in a one-on-one situation, he's going to bring it down."

Calvary's Jalen Hicks hauls in a catch for the 2-point conversion against Jenkins on Friday, September 19, 2025 at Memorial Stadium.

Calvary Day quarterback James Mobley IV is Hicks' classmate and close friend and said the way Hicks went about his business rehabbing from the injury set an example for his teammates as he emerged as a leader on the field and in the locker room.

"Jalen worked so hard and came back really strong, it seemed like he never thought about it once he got his chance to get back on the field," Mobley said. "He is a big part of our offense. He's a smooth route runner with a big catch radius. He's big, strong and physical and gets lot of yards after the catch. One guy is not going to bring him down along. He understands leverage and knows how to attack defenders, and he's also a great blocker and big part of our run game."

College recruiters took note of Hicks breakthrough junior season. He has an offer from App State and is receiving interest from schools including Georgia Southern, Mercer and Gardner Webb. He's proud of the how he's come back, and is looking to take the next step in his senior season.

"Coach Cameron helped me a lot, because I wanted to rush back and he helped create a balance between what I could and couldn't do," Hicks said. "I learned a lot last season and being able to play made me realize I can never take anything for granted again.

"I have goals for next year and the most important one is for our team to get back to the state championship game and win it. Personally ― I want to set the school record for receptions, get 1,000 yards receiving with 10 touchdowns. We can't wait for the season to get started."

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: How Calvary Day football's Jalen Hicks' comeback earned special honor