Taylor Sanders rewriting record book while helping change Baker County football

NEWTON — Terrance King has been around Baker County football from the beginning.

He has watched the program grow, struggle and try to establish itself. So when King says one player has changed Baker County football, he understands the weight of those words.

That player is senior quarterback Taylor Sanders.

“I have been with the football program from the beginning, and this young man has changed our program,” King said.

The numbers explain why.

Sanders surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the season Friday night, running for 211 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries as Baker County defeated Georgia Christian 34-28.

He also completed 19 of 29 passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns, accounting for 323 yards of offense and all four Baker County touchdowns.

The performance pushed Sanders to 1,012 rushing yards and 1,918 total yards this season.

Now Homecoming could become a record-setting night.

Baker County hosts Spring Creek Charter on Friday with Sanders needing 94 passing yards to reach 1,000 for the season and only 82 total yards to reach 2,000. Both would establish school records.

For King, however, those numbers are the product of work that began long before the season.

“Taylor Sanders is a great student-athlete,” King said. “He has worked extremely hard and deserves all the recognition for the work he has put in this summer to be prepared for this season. The stats this young man has achieved are a testament to his ability and dedication.”

Those statistics aren’t impressive only by Baker County standards.

According to MaxPreps’ 6-, 8- and 9-man football statistics through Sept. 29, Sanders ranks sixth nationally with 1,918 total yards and 19th with 1,012 rushing yards. His 16 total touchdowns rank 57th nationally.

And Sanders is doing it while playing both ways.

The senior also lines up at defensive back for the Bears, making his workload even more impressive. Against Georgia Christian alone, he ran the ball 32 times and attempted 29 passes while helping Baker County earn its second victory in three games.

That turnaround matters.

The Bears opened the season with three consecutive losses, but instead of allowing the difficult start to define their season, they have begun changing its direction.

Sanders has been at the center of it.

His combination of running and passing makes him difficult to defend. Friday was a perfect example: Georgia Christian had to account for him on virtually every offensive snap, and Sanders still produced more than 300 yards and four touchdowns.

College programs are beginning to notice.

Sanders has received offers from Georgia Knights Community Christian College, Dega University Community Christian College and Culver-Stockton College, an NAIA program in Missouri. This week brought another opportunity when NCAA Division II Erskine College extended an offer.

For a senior playing his final season at Baker County, more opportunities could follow if his production continues.

But first there is Friday night.

Homecoming always brings a little extra attention. This one arrives with Baker County trying to continue a late-season surge and its quarterback on the verge of putting his name atop multiple categories in the school record book.

Sanders needs only 82 yards to reach 2,000 total yards. He needs 94 through the air to give him 1,000 passing yards to go with the 1,000 he already has on the ground.

Those milestones would provide tangible evidence of what Sanders has accomplished.

King believes his impact is bigger than that.

“The stats this young man has achieved are a testament to his ability and dedication,” King said.

The records will tell part of the story.

The program Sanders leaves behind may tell the rest.