We talked to head coaches of Collins Hill and Peachtree Ridge High Schools on What to Expect from their teams this season.
Interviews by Lizzy Kidney
Q&A WITH 2018 COLLINS HILL EAGLES HEAD COACH
Coach Lenny Gregory
The former Centennial High School coach made his way back to Gwinnett County as the Collins Hill head coach in 2017. He wrapped up his first season as a Collins Hill Eagle with a 6-4 record.
“WE HAVE A LOT OF YOUNG, TALENTED SOPHOMORES AND JUNIORS WHO WILL BE STEPPING UP, AND WE EVEN HAVE TWO 9TH GRADERS WHO WE THINK CAN HELP US THIS SEASON.”
Based on the team’s performance last year, are there any areas you are hoping to improve on this year?
We want to get better as a whole team. We went 6-4 in the regular season and finished in a three-way tie for second in our region at 4-2. It was a good first year and we need to improve on that. Our goal is to compete for the region and state championships.
Do you have younger classmen that are stepping up to fill the shoes of the seniors that graduated last year?
Absolutely, we have a lot of young, talented sophomores and juniors who will be stepping up, and we even have two 9th graders who we think can help us this season.
What do you think will be your toughest game this season?
We have a very tough schedule, and in my opinion, it’s one of the toughest in the county. Our first four non-region games are Walton, Marietta, Brookwood, and McEachern. These are all top teams in our state. Then we go into region play, which our region is easily the toughest in the state. Also, in our region, you have the defending state champs, North Gwinnett. That’s probably going to be our toughest game.
Who are some key players that are expected to stand out this season?
Our defense is the strength of our football team with players like Kamari Fox, Anthony Vinson, Tommy Turnage, and Jared Bartlett. On offense we have guys like DeAngelo Oliver, Isaiah Love, Jalen Johnson, and Tank Pritchett. We also have Cameron Kinnie and Cody Hutchison who are returning starters.
Q&A WITH 2018 PEACHTREE RIDGE HEAD COACH
Coach Reginald Stancil
Coach Stancil was a record-breaking quarterback and baseball player at Colquitt County, earning all-state honors twice in both sports. He opted to play college football at Jacksonville State, where he threw for 5,182 career yards and had 6,276 yards of total offense. He now brings over 15 years of coaching experience to Peachtree Ridge.
“WE WERE IMPLEMENTING A NEW SYSTEM LAST YEAR. WE HAD A LOT OF SENIORS, BUT ONLY FIVE OR SIX OF THEM HAD VARSITY EXPERIENCE. WE PLAYED A LOT OF YOUNG KIDS WHO WE FEEL WILL BENEFIT FROM THAT PLAYING TIME AND HELP US IMPROVE THIS UPCOMING SEASON.”
How did the team prepare for this season?
We have worked really hard this offseason in the weight room and on the track.
Based on the team’s performance last year, are there any areas you are hoping to improve on this year?
We were implementing a new system last year. We had a lot of seniors, but only five or six of them had Varsity experience. We played a lot of young kids who we feel will benefit from that playing time and help us improve this upcoming season.
How many starters do you have returning this year?
We return seven on defense and three on offense. We return our long snapper, punter, and kicker as well.
Do you have younger classmen that are stepping up to fill the shoes of the seniors who graduated last year?
We have a lot of underclassmen that have done a great job this offseason getting ready to compete.
Who are some key players that are expected to stand out this season?
On offense, we have Trent Brown who will be a three-year starter and has Division 1 offers, and then also we have Jalen Lee who is our offensive linebacker. On defense, we have Dorian Williams, Dominic Jones, and Mason Huntley. Some other players to look out for are Devin Williams, Alex Carman, and CJ Richardson.
