Editor’s Note: The Dispatch continues its annual look at some of the area’s top players. These features will run daily through the start of the prep football regular season Thursday and Friday.
Columbus High School senior defensive tackle Josh Gray didn’t need a pep talk from coach Randal Montgomery.
When more and more new players showed up for weight training and practice, Gray knew what that meant.
“There is a lot of excitement playing with so many new players,” Gray said. “The biggest thing is getting everybody together. We have been working hard every day in practice to get everybody on the right track. Our goal is to win a state championship. We have a lot of new players, and we have got to get them playing well quickly.”
With only handful of seniors, the leadership of the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Gray will be even more important. Columbus most likely will have four returning starters on defense Thursday night for its season opener at West Point.
“Leading this team is a challenge,” Gray said. “It’s hard to get everybody on the right track. The young guys are trying to follow behind you and do what you do. That means you have to do everything right. You can’t miss an assignment on the field. You can’t take it easy one day in the weight room because so many of the new guys are looking up to you.
“The biggest thing is mind-set. Not everybody has that in-game experience, so they don’t know what to expect. We have talent. The main thing we have to focus on is mind-set. The biggest thing is setting a good example to follow.”
Montgomery has made strides in his first three seasons at Columbus. The Falcons have won 14 games in the past two seasons and earned back-to-back playoff appearances for the second time in program history.
While he likes the talent level of his young team, Montgomery knows leadership will help his squad close the gap against a challenging non-region schedule.
“We are looking for some great leadership out of seniors and we have to have that,” Montgomery said. “Josh is one of those that put himself in a position to play on the next level. You want to see that hard work pay off with that opportunity. On defense, we have a little bit of experience and we are counting heavily on those guys.”
With the offense finding its way early stages in the season, success on defense likely will be critical.
“We will have a solid defense once we get everybody on track,” Gray said. “It is going to be looking good. We have a strong front seven. That’s a good place to start. If we can get some experience for the (defensive backs) and (in the secondary), then we have a chance to be a pretty good defense.
“We just can’t take steps back. We have to keep going forward. We have to believe in what we are doing and work hard to achieve our goals.”
While Columbus never has been considered one of the state’s traditional powers, it has made strides. The back-to-back playoff appearances has been a building block for Montgomery. This year’s squad has an unprecedented third-straight trip to the postseason in its sights.
“Our expectations have changed, and it has been exciting watching that take place,” Gray said. “We expect to go win a championship. We expect to compete with the every team they put on our schedule. We believe we can win every Friday night. At Columbus, players used to play so the fans could come watch.
“Now, there is a belief and it goes though the locker room and through the community. We believe we can compete with anybody. We believe we have to go out there and set the tone each Friday night. We feel like we have to go out and fight for something.”
Gray suffered tore an anterior cruciate ligament tear and a medial collateral ligament last season against New Hope. While Gray finished the season, he was sidelined for spring ball.
“The injury made me drive to be a better player for this season,” said Gray, who is 100 percent. “I know now that could have been the end of my career. The injury lit another fire under me. It pushed me to get back on the field and to make an impact. I feel like I have to make up for lost time.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.