With last football season’s playoff appearance and postseason victory, Gilmer Bobcat football players bore witness to the fruits of their labor.
Last Wednesday marked the end of spring practice as the Bobcats have shifted their focus to the upcoming season and prolonging their recent success. Plenty of teaching took place in the first half of the 10-day session as coaches brought the newcomers up to speed. The overall physicality was ramped up over the final days ahead of Wednesday’s scrimmage.
Head coach Paul Standard praised players and coaches for “recruiting the hallways” to help boost the number of players into the low 80s.
“We did a lot more contact in week two, and the kids responded well,” said Standard, who is entering his fourth season as the Bobcats’ head coach. “I was real pleased, not only with our older guys, but also with our younger guys. When we start hitting, some people decide it’s not for them, but we had great retention with our new players.
“It’s hard to be a football player here. You practice a couple hours with a lot of contact, and then you have to be back the next morning at 7 a.m. ready to lift weights again. We don’t have any attendance problems. This was one of the best springs I’ve been associated with at any school (in 40 years of coaching.)”
Spring practice and the final intrasquad scrimmage was used to discover new starters and backups. Standard and his staff entered spring with openings along its offensive line and at receiver.
“Two who were injured for spring, Sam Jones and Gavin Daley, certainly are going to play on the offensive line for us,” said Standard. “I think we found Logan Hightower and Jake Hice, who are two offensive line candidates who had a great spring, and I think they can step into those positions. Tight ends Robert Pim and Chaz Curtis had a nice spring.”
GHS will replace its entire receiving corps from last season.
“Receiver wise, I feel good with what we have coming in with rising seniors Colton McCollum, Rhett McGregor and Greco Dalayan. Then we have rising juniors Aiden St. John and Riley Duggan, so I feel good about what we have stepping in.”
GHS is deep at its wingback and fullback spots, and Standard believes he has six capable backs who can all take the field without any drop off. Returning at fullback are senior Wyatt Stokes and sophomore Peyton Chancey. Wingbacks are seniors Grant Ballew and Kyle Cowart, junior Hunter Britain and sophomore Douglas Callihan.
Ballew, Cowart and Britain are starters in the defensive secondary, while Chancey and Callihan are starting linebackers. Coaches were on the lookout for a third linebacker and two ends.
“Charles Norman had a good spring and so did Pim on the defensive line. I felt like they did a good job. At linebacker, Memphis Lewallen had a great spring,” Standard said.
Overall, Standard said he was pleased with the two weeks and satisfied with the Bobcats’ consistency from day to day. He believes the positive momentum forged through winter workouts carried over into spring practice.
“Our players’ knowledge of the game and carryover from last year has been remarkable, which you expect in year four. If we end up having a really good year, it will be because the seniors have continued the leadership they’ve provided,” Standard said. “We had tremendous winter workouts, and I told our kids, ‘This doesn’t guarantee us anything. It only guarantees us the opportunity to be successful.’ All the other schools are lifting, and it’s not like we’re ahead of anybody, but we’re prepared.”
GHS returns to the field June 3 to begin the summer preseason.