Heritage junior Luke Grant, with ball, has accounted for a touchdown seven different ways this season while helping the Generals to a program-best eight wins. They play at Forsyth's Mary Persons tonight in the second round of the GHSA Class AAAA playoffs.
Stephen has covered sports in the tri-state area for the Times Free Press for more than 25 years and was named Sports Editor in February of 2015 after 10 years as assistant sports editor.When Heritage went on the road last Friday and upset state-ranked Stephens County in the GHSA Class AAAA football playoffs, third-year coach E.K. Slaughter returned home with more than the program's first postseason win. He also found the kid he'll point to as the example of the attitude and effort expected from every player in a Generals uniform.
If Luke Grant is the first player off the bus, he's certainly not going to intimidate opponents. But once he's on the field, the 5-foot-9, 165-pound junior rarely comes back off.
A jack-of-all-trades athlete on offense, Grant is also a solid defensive back and returns kicks and punts. Many teams have those versatile overachievers, but what separates Grant is his knack for finding the end zone by any means necessary.
Going into tonight's second-round game at Mary Persons in Forsyth, Grant has accounted for touchdowns in seven different ways: rushing, receiving, passing, returning a kick, returning a punt, returning an interception and returning a fumble. The only other ways left to reach the end zone would be on a blocked punt or field goal return.
"That's pretty amazing," Slaughter said. "Going into last week's game, we had talked about how impressed we were that he had scored five different ways, then he goes out and scored in two other ways.
"He doesn't look like the kid who'll make the plays he does. If I was on the other sideline, he'd be an annoying player having to stop."
In last week's back-and-forth game in Toccoa, the Generals took charge by scoring 16 points in a short span, with Grant having a hand in two of the three scores by scooping a fumble and returning it for a touchdown and throwing for a score on a double pass that followed a safety.
"That win was huge for the confidence of our program because it let our kids see first-hand what it takes to win at that level," Slaughter said. "When we went back and watched the film, we saw so many plays where effort won the play, and that made the difference in the game. They were more talented than we were, but we had better effort and togetherness. That's what's going to win games for us.
"It's a big help having somebody so versatile. It gives us a lot of options on offense as far as how to get him the ball and let him make plays. One of the best things I can say about him is that he never gets shook. There isn't a moment in a game that's too big for him."
Grant announced he was ready for any moment in a game as a freshman when he tipped away a pass in the end zone on the final play to preserve a win over Dawson County.
Since then, the three-sport athlete (he also plays basketball and baseball) has continued to find a variety of ways to help the program turn things around - the Generals are 8-3 after never having won more than seven games in a season since beginning play in 2008, and this is just their second winning season overall. Grant has more than 1,500 all-purpose yards this year to go with 38 tackles and six interceptions on defense.
Coaches admit the only time they've seen Grant frustrated was when he's taken off the field to rest - although those moments have been seldom.
"When we're doing something so big, you want to be out on the field and be a part of it," Grant said. "I never want to come out, and I don't like standing on the sideline for anything. I'm just really competitive, and I love my role because our coaches can put me wherever the team needs me.
"That feeling last week, winning our first playoff game and then the celebration and laughing on the bus ride home, that was unbelievable. That's a feeling all of us could get used to, and hopefully it'll be something everybody who plays here just expects to have."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.