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SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD RAIDERSRegion 7-AAAARaider Stadium, 1954 Riverbend Road, Dalton, GA 30721Driver’s seat: Sean Gray (12-19 in three years here; 30-43 overall)Road tested: 5 offensive, 5 defensive starters return
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Route ’15: Following a rare playoff season, the excitement in south Whitfield County is at an all-time high. Though some major holes need to be filled, the Raiders expect to be in the running for a playoff spot at the end of the regular season.
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Taking the wheel: The transfer of starting QB Will Swantic to North Murray after his father was hired at the Chatsworth school quelled some of the excitement, but Coach Gray has complete trust in senior Colter Faith. The athlete started behind center last year when Swantic was injured early in the season.
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Cruise control: The Raiders’ backfield is among the area’s best, led by returning starters Tyler Brown and Devin Fields. Brown, at only 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds, ran for more than 1,000 yards and, Gray said, makes up for his lack of size with effort that has rubbed off on the team. Fields, the 6-foot, 210-pound son of former Southeast star Patrick Fields, is the perfect inside complement to Brown.
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Pump the brakes: Though last season was a huge success, the Raiders still had trouble stopping opponents. In their five losses, they gave up more than 40 points a game and twice allowed 60. Shoring up that side of the ball is the team’s top goal. The offensive line lost four of five starters from a year ago, though senior Noah Ramsey, rated among the top centers in the nation by 247Sports.com, is back.
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Backseat drive: A rival coach said of the Raiders, “Coach Gray is a very intense individual and his team reflects that, and it’s what helped them get to the playoffs a year ago. He’s done a great job turning that program around, and this team could be even better than last year.”
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Rearview2014 game resultsAug. 22;Coahulla Creek;won, 45-0Aug. 29;Murray County;won, 22-21Sep. 5;Gordon Central;won, 28-10Sep. 26;Heritage;won, 45-25Oct. 3;LaFayette;won, 48-28Oct. 10;Pickens;lost, 62-40Oct. 17;Gilmer;lost, 28-7Oct. 24;Cartersville;lost, 48-0Oct. 31;Ridgeland;won, 37-20Nov. 7;Northwest Whitfield;lost, 39-36Nov. 14;Buford;lost, 63-0 (first-round playoffs)6-5, 3-4 in Region 7-AAAA
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On the horizon2015 schedule (all times 7:30)Aug. 21;at Coahulla CreekAug. 28;Murray CountySep. 4;at Gordon CentralSep. 11;Northwest WhitfieldSep. 25;HeritageOct. 2;at LaFayetteOct. 9;PickensOct. 16;at GilmerOct. 23;CartersvilleOct. 30;at RidgelandRegion 7-AAAA games in bold
Pedal to the metal
Sean Gray has been in tougher situations. By far.
When the former Southeast Whitfield player became the school's head coach in 2011, the Raiders were in a 25-year playoff drought and had won just one game in nine of their previous 11 seasons. Gray's third season was the charm, resulting in a playoff berth and an end to all the talk of losing streaks.
Even the graduation of 30 seniors off that team and the transfer of its star quarterback couldn't dampen Gray's enthusiasm as the Raiders prepared for their next challenge.
"Last year was a magical year for us and it was just a lot of fun," he said. "It was huge for our community, because we finally put the past behind us. In previous years we couldn't keep kids in the program - they would often leave in middle school before they got to the program."
Losing quarterback Will Swantic was a bit different - his father was hired as an assistant coach at North Murray - but the challenge of replacing his 1,700 yards and 25 combined touchdowns is nonetheless important.
Luckily for Southeast, Gray has Faith. Colter Faith, that is.
"Colter Faith is our quarterback," Gray said. "He's a senior who is a two-time all-region player at receiver, and he's quite the athlete. Our offense won't miss a beat."
Faith won't be asked to do as much as Swantic did, but with returning running backs Tyler Brown and Devin Fields to go with top tight end Britt Hasty, he won't have to.
"We've got both our running backs back, including the area's leading rusher back in Tyler Brown and a healthy Devin Fields, so I'm very excited," Gray said.
- Capsule by Lindsey Young; contact at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or follow on Twitter: @YoungSports22