SUWANEE — North Gwinnett offensive lineman Warren Ericson may measure up at a mammoth 6-foot-4, 317 pounds, but he and many of the other Bulldogs are acting out their little kid fantasies at the moment.
That's because Ericson, a University of Georgia-commit who will sign early in December and leave for Athens as an early enrollee has helped lead North Gwinnett into the Class AAAAAAA semifinals for the first time since 2013. They will take on playoff stalwart McEachern Friday night at Tom Robinson Stadium for a spot in next week's state championship.
Ericson talked to AccessWDUN’s Jeff Hart about how far the Bulldogs have come in his time with the program and just what it means for North Gwinnett to be back on the center stage.
QUESTION: You started your high school career at Northview but moved to North Gwinnett before your sophomore season. What was it like that first season and how much has this group, and yourself, grown as players and people?
ANSWER: There were a lot of growing pains for a lot of us because the team had lost a bunch of guys, especially the defense, and a lot of us had to start as sophomores. That’s tough in a region like the one we’re in. We finished 5-5 that year and didn’t make the playoffs and, not to throw anybody under the bus, but there wasn’t a whole lot of good senior leadership on that team. It was (Texas A&M quarterback commit Cade Fortin’s) first year; we had different receivers and a whole new offensive line. We were really just learning and getting to know each other. Personally, it was a key year for me because I figured out who I was as a person and a player. As a team I think us young guys also learned how important senior leadership really is. The better teams have good leadership from the players. It can’t always come from the coaches.
Q: Did you see that core of sophomores, including yourself, as being the group to lead a postseason resurgence?
A: Thinking back I believe the talent was there in the sophomore class. We just needed to keep getting better. I don’t think we’re anywhere near the most talented senior group North Gwinnett has ever had, but we have a good work ethic and a lot of heart as a group. We love each other and want to play for each other. That’s the strength of the team I think.
Q: The beginning of this season brought y’all a new coach in (former Mill Creek defensive coordinator) Bill Stewart. What has he and his staff brought to the program that maybe had been missing the last few years?
A: First, (former) coach (Bob) Sphire was awesome and really helped me and many of the guys progress as people and players. I don’t know if anything was really missing. We were still growing as players. Coach Stewart has a different style that I think is kind of connecting with some of us in a way that is bringing out even more talent. Coach Stewart wanted us to play faster and tougher and I think that goes well with our talent. We’re going 100 miles an hour and being physical all 48 minutes. We love what the coaches are doing and everyone has bought in.
Q: You mentioned earlier about senior leadership. How key has that been for the success this season now that you’re one of the seniors?
A: I think that has been huge. Again, not to knock any of the other senior classes, but this group is the most like a family in my four years of playing high school football. We got together at camp before the season and coach Stewart and the coaches really emphasized a family environment. We were hanging out together -- not just as a offense or a defense -- but guys from different positions and we all got to know each. That was a lot of fun. The older guys quickly bought into what the coaches were wanting us to do and our goal has been to show and teach the younger players how to do things the right way. I feel like this senior group is really providing the right kind of leadership. Hopefully, the younger guys will pick up on that and do that when they are seniors. We want to leave the program in better shape than when we got here.
Q: With that in mind, was there a sense that this could be a special season when y’all broke camp? Are you surprised y’all were able to win the region title in Coach Stewart’s first season and at what point during the season did it look like that could happen?
A: Coach Stewart, on the first day, said we could win the region so I don’t think any of us are that surprised because they showed us right from the beginning that they believed in us. We opened with a loss to Walton, but I think that helped us in the sense that we didn’t do some of the little things needed to win. We really started to focus and then we started to click off the wins. [The Bulldogs currently own the longest win streak in Class 7A at 12 straight.] But it probably wasn’t until the Mill Creek game [a 35-21 victory over the defending region champs] that we really began to think that maybe we are pretty good. We’ve just been taking things one at a time, as they say.
Q: Obviously everyone that plays sports wants to go out as champions. This team is just eight successful quarters from being able to bring home the school’s first football title. Like the mirror in Harry Potter, can you see yourselves lifting that trophy in the future?
A: Well first, this season has been incredible and I really don’t want it to end, even if we get to the title game and win it. I have really come to appreciate being able to play at this level because I will be leaving all my friends on the last day of school in December, so I’m trying to enjoy being with all these guys who I have to come to love as brothers. It’s going to be sad for me no matter what happens. But on being able to see us winning it, I can taste it bad. It’s like Christmas morning when you smell the eggs and bacon cooking and you want a bite but your mom says it’s not time to eat yet. I can’t wait for Friday and hopefully a shot at a title. I can see us winning it. I think sometimes the right people come together to put together something special. I believe that this group of players with this group of coaches is the right combination to get it done. I just feel blessed to still be on this journey. I’m just trying to soak up everything I can until it ends. Hopefully that won’t be until December 9 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
