There is never an easy way for Hinds Community College freshman linebacker Josh Gray.
After not finding the offer he wanted following his senior season at Columbus High School, Gray chose to walk on at Hinds C.C.
“Seeing from a walk-on perspective has really made me respect the game more,” Gray said. “That’s been one of the hardest things I have ever done — working every day without any guarantees. Fighting to make the team was much harder than trying to make the starting lineup. After the summer passed and we got into fall camp, I just felt a relief. I knew where this was headed.”
While Gray’s career continues to
project upward, the 2018 season has been a mixed bag for the Eagles, who will miss the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) playoffs. Hinds C.C. (4-4, 2-3) will play Thursday at Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C. (6-2, 3-2) in the regular-season South Division finale for both teams in Perkinston.
“This year has been a major learning experience,” Gray said. “After playing primarily on the defensive line, also been able to show my abilities at linebacker. We have played a lot of close games. The main thing I have learned is about technique and fundamentals. Getting better each day in the little things. Those are the things that will be important next year when I am a sophomore and counted on to be one of the leaders of the team.”
Gray is third on the team in tackles with 50, including two-and-a-half for loss. He has been a starter since the second week of the season against Mississippi Delta C.C.
“Josh may be one of our hardest workers,” Hinds C.C. coach Larry Williams said. “No matter what the competition is he wants to finish first. He has great football instinct and thinks well on his feet. Fortunate that we got him. He has really worked hard and earned everything he has gotten.”
When Columbus completed a 2-9 season a year ago, things were tough for the Falcons’ seniors. A coaching change sent the program into transition. A team that struggled to produce wins and then experiences a coaching change isn’t a recipe that helps its players receive stacks of college offers.
“The last year at Columbus was a humbling experience,” Gray said. “We worked hard but didn’t have anything to show for it. There were not a lot of seniors on the team. When things started to get away with us, there wasn’t that large group of seniors. It made things tough. However, the adversity also toughened us up for the next level.”
Even though the last two senior classes at Columbus High didn’t produce a large number of signees, the Falcons still playing have made an impact in their new programs.
“We are a close-knit group,” Gray said. “The fresh start has been good in a lot of ways. The biggest thing for each of us is learning we belong on this level. After a couple of games, you just start feeling good. Everybody here can play. Everybody wants that senior college offer. The biggest motivation comes from your own team.
“You got teammates fighting and scrapping to get to the next level. You don’t want to take that one day off in practice because you can lose that spot.”
Gray said all of that fighting and scrapping will ensure he never takes his present spot for granted.
“This league is what everybody says it is,” Gray said. “Each player has a story. It’s fascinating to be out there playing against the best of the best. When you look around and see what you are doing, it makes you feel blessed.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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