LaFayette defenders Matt Lemons (17) and Logan Wattenbarger (88) close in on Gordon Lee’s Andrew Towns (35) in this Sept 5, 2014 photo.Sean Gray is the worrying sort, not an altogether odd personality trait for a football coach. But what’s on Gray’s mind these days is something he doesn’t mind dealing with: success.
Or, more precisely, how best to handle success when it’s something new. Gray’s Southeast Whitfield Raiders are 3-0 for the first time in 30 football seasons, but that hardly tells the story. Since going 5-5 in 1992 the program is a wretched 33-174-1. During that time there have been three winless seasons and 11 with just one win.
The last playoff season was 1986, meaning an entire generation of Raiders has not played in the postseason.
Losing football games at Southeast Whitfield has been expected, a fact Gray — a former player — is working every day to change. The 3-0 start to the season is starting to make a difference, he said.
“These are very exciting times here, and you can tell the difference just by walking in the hallways and listening to the students,” Gray said. “We’ve become so accustomed to losing here that I knew the biggest change we needed to make was between our ears. Now our attitude and focus are changing, but the big question is how do we handle this success?”