With the start of the dead period just a few days away, week four of summer workouts is underway and for the defending Georgia High School Association Class 7A state champions, the Collins Hill Eagles, before they get to the break, players continue to work towards being “next up”. Despite graduating key players like quarterback Sam Horn and defensive back/wide receiver, Travis Hunter, Collins Hill head coach, Lenny Gregory says the team is not approaching the new season as a rebuild.
“The whole thing this year is not rebuild, it’s next up. Who’s the next guy up? And in order to be the next guy up, we have to grow up and we have to mature as a team and develop fundamentally,” Gregory said of the mindset of the Eagles over the past few weeks. And as the Eagles start to build towards the start of the 2022 season, Gregory says and his staff have noticed plenty of “willingness to compete and get after it,” in showing they’re ready to step up.
“They know what the standard is and they’re working hard and showing up and trying to improve every day,” Gregory said of the Eagles’ players adding that once they return from the dead week period, it will be time for the team to shift their focus into the start of the season. With the team participating in seven on seven tournaments throughout June and July being a short month because of the dead period, “we’ll get more into real 11 on 11 football and start really gearing towards that,” Gregory said of the players can expect once they return from the break.
And as the Eagles begin to gear up towards the start of the 2022 season, this will be the first the team will be doing so as defending state champions after claiming the 2021 crown. And for Gregory and his staff, the message for their players is to not focus on teams wanting to take them down, but more so having a chance to leave their own footprint and “We’ve got to focus on us and getting better and making improvements where we need to,” Gregory said of their talks with the team, reminding them that this is an opportunity for them “to write their story”.
Collins Hill will open up the 2022 season on August 19 in the Freedom Bowl at Milton High School.