NOTE: There are only 43 days left until the start of the 2015 high school football season -- both around the state and right here in northeast Georgia. With that in mind, AccessWDUN is already in full preparation mode. Over the next three weeks we will give you a sneak peek of what’s in store for 2015 with our "Two-A-Days" series. We will bring you two key questions -- and answers -- for each program in our coverage area, twice a day. Each morning will start a new program, with another highlighted each afternoon. And at the end of each week we will also provide some video footage and commentary from area coaches. Programs will run in alphabetical order.
2014 proved the year that East Hall football finally busted the drought. The Vikings burst into the state playoffs for the first time in nine seasons, breaking through to finish above .500 for the first time in coach Bryan Gray's tenure. Gray has led East Hall out of the doldrums and built the Vikings into a consistent program over his eight-year tenure. Now he and his players want more.
Gray notes that East Hall tasted sweet success and is hungry to savor that flavor again and despite the fact that the Vikings graduated a number of talented sill position players, including quarterback Devin Watson, the next crop of players in Rabbittown now know what it takes to get to the postseason and are intent on getting back. We spoke to Gray about his 2015 Vikings.
QUESTION: What effect did getting into the playoffs have on your program?
ANSWER: The kids want more. They’ve got a little taste. They want to go back and now believe they can make the playoffs. It’s a whole different team this year but that attitude and that desire has carried over. It’s shown in the workouts, especially in the linemen, because all of them are returning from last year. And they’re really competing with each other and pushing each other harder to get better and it’s exciting.
QUESTION: How is the race coming to replace Watson at quarterback?
ANSWER: We’ve got three-four kids competing at quarterback; all of them have a different talent set. And we’re going to let them compete and probably going to compete throughout the season and probably go with the hot hand. But we’ll just see. All three of them are good competitors and very good athletes, and all of them have potential to be as good as any we’ve had at the position in my time here. We’ve just got to teach them the fundamentals and get them better because they’re a young group.
COMING UP NEXT: East Jackson
