Turner, Lions making noise in 8-A

By Jeff Hart Sports Reporter

Posted 4:43PM on Wednesday, October 8, 2014

GAINESVILLE -- As a sophomore, Tae Turner came to Lakeview Academy as a basketball player. There were no thoughts of pads, or helmets, or grueling practices in the summer heat. His friends and coaches, however, had other ideas. "Initially he wasn't going to play football," Lakeview coach Matthew Gruhn said. "He said he just wanted to concentrate on basketball. We didn't try to pressure him but we knew he was a good athlete and could be a good player." A talk with his friends changed everything. "I've been playing football since I was little, but I was going to give it up to stick with my basketball dreams," said Turner, now a junior running back. "But then some of my teammates came to me personally and told me that they needed me and wanted me to play. I'm glad I did it. I've enjoyed it a lot. I never expected I would have been in this situation." Neither did the Lakeview program. In just their first full region schedule, the Lions are showing Region 8-A that they do not plan on being the region's doormat. Turner has been one of the main reasons the Lions (2-3, 2-0 Region 8-A) have won two straight region games. They will put that streak on the line Friday traveling to George Walton Academy. Against Providence Christian two weeks ago, Turner rushed for 240 yards and four touchdowns. Last week, a 29-27 win over Hebron Christian, he had 83 yards and three more rushing TDs and added nearly 50 yards receiving. In the past two games, Lakeview has used Turner in a variety of positions in their new spread attack. Gruhn said Turner's success is a product of the team as a whole starting to find its way. "I feel like we're just doing everything a little bit better than before," Gruhn said. "The guys are blocking better, executing things better and that, I think, is driving us to have more success. Tae has been outstanding but it's still a team game and right now we're playing well as a team." Turner's rushing numbers were down against Hebron but that was because the passing game behind David Abee piled up 250 yards through the air. Abee has plenty of targets with Turner, juniors Trystan Reguier and Thaddeus Webb, and sophomore Josh Randolph. They have averaged 33.5 points over the past two games. "We're becoming more balanced and that's making it hard for teams to key on one thing," Gruhn said. "We want to be more diverse and get as many people involved as possible. We'll see if we can keep it up." George Walton (3-2, 2-1) offers the Lions their toughest challenge by far. The Bulldogs have averaged 42 points in their last two two region contests and have yielded just 18.6 points a game on defense. "George Walton is a very good team" Gruhn said. "It will be a huge test for us on the road." Two things are for sure: Lakeview doesn't lack for confidence or humility during its improbable win streak. "Don't underestimate us. We might be small, we might be a small team, but we give it all we've got," Turner said. "We're trying not to get the big head, just staying focused on the next game." Gruhn is taking a somewhat more laid-back approach. "We're the underdog. We've always been the underdog and hopefully we can use that to our advantage," Gruhn said. "The guys are just able to go out there and play and not have any real pressure on them." The win over Hebron, a team many expected to challenge for a region title this season, could be just the turning point the Lions were looking for. "The practice on Monday morale seemed to be pretty high," Gruhn said. "It remains to be seen if that's the win we'll be able to look back on as the one to get things going for us. I hope it does." No matter what happens Friday, Turner is believing that Lakeview's time may have arrived. "I feel like we can make it to the playoffs even though people don't think we will," Turner said. "I believe we can shock north Georgia."

Jeff Hart Sports Reporter