Grayson’s season has been rocky for several reasons. But that can turn Friday.
Grayson and Archer didn’t shake hands after the Rams dominated the Tigers 28-3 Friday night.
It wasn’t for lack of sportsmanship — the decision was a protective one in response to the Rams’ postgame fight with Carol City (Florida) on Oct. 2.
“We’re not allowed to put ourselves in that situation,” Grayson coach Greg Carswell said. “Just get off the field, you know? Me and (Archer coach Dante Williams) shook hands. We had a mutual agreement prior to the game that that’s what we’d do.”
The Rams sprinted off the field to their locker room, celebrating the rivalry win.
Another message could be gleaned from the scene: Grayson is trying to leave the first half of the season behind it and attack what’s next.
A challenge awaits — the No. 10-ranked Rams will visit No. 4 Newton this Friday in a game that will likely decide the winner of Region 4-7A.
Grayson’s first season under Carswell has been far from perfect. The talent-stacked Rams were widely expected to be one of Georgia’s best teams at the start of the season before losing 37-22 to North Gwinnett and 21-13 to 4A Sandy Creek, where in both games the Rams were double-digit favorites. It was the program’s first 0-2 start since 2013.
The second loss was a turning point for Grayson, according to offensive tackle KD Jones.
“All of us were emotional after the game,” Jones said. “It felt like we just couldn’t figure it out, and that following Sunday, we just made an agreement to just turn this whole thing around, and it’s going good so far. We’ve just got to keep building momentum.”
Receiver Cameron Hurst agreed but added that the Rams didn’t obsess over the rocky start.
“We weren’t just constantly talking about that,” Hurst said. “We were trying to move on to the next game, and I felt like we just kept working.
“The beginning of practice was not as locked in as we are right now, so I feel like the turning point was really just locking in more in practice and doing what we’ve got to do.”
Hurst said the Rams did often discuss their greatest challenge: distractions.
“All the people that are against us because we started losing in the beginning,” Hurst said. “People just being against us, the social media. I feel like the distractions is the biggest challenge we have to face, and we just have to not get distracted, get focused and do what we have to do to make it to the state championship.”
The Rams recovered with wins over Hughes and Brunswick the next two weeks before a 23-13 loss to top-ranked Buford at home.
Grayson needed a turnaround win, and the following week’s 10-9 victory over Carol City appeared to answer the call. But the Rams left the game with another potential distraction.
The postgame fight, which drew national attention last week, resulted in one-game suspensions for four Grayson players. The Rams were preparing for a road rivalry region-opener while managing the fight’s fallout.
For senior leaders like Jones, who was not suspended, that meant ignoring distractions again.
“It doesn’t really matter what happened in the past,” Jones said. “We just had to keep our heads forward. Everyone on the team just had to let bygones be bygones. Just play to the Grayson standard because the standard doesn’t drop no matter who we play.”
The Rams responded with the 25-point win at Archer, putting them above .500 for the first time this season and setting up the showdown at Newton.
Grayson has played four nationally ranked teams this season, including a televised season opener at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. But it’s possible that no game has been as pivotal as Friday could be.
The Rams can improve to 5-3 and take sole ownership of first place in the region with a win. Grayson would be favored to win a fifth consecutive region title, sealing home field advantage for at least the first round of the playoffs.
A loss would drop the Rams to 4-4 and behind in the region standings. With no region title, Grayson could have a lower playoff seed and face more road games in the postseason.
Grayson has one of the most talented rosters in Georgia, but Newton isn’t short on star power, either. Five-star running back Kevin Hartsfield headlines a roster featuring at least 12 players with a Division I scholarship offer.
Newton is also 7-0 with notable wins over Douglas County, Roswell and Westlake. The program is 1-9 against Grayson all-time.
But the only history that matters to Grayson is protecting its reputation as one of Georgia’s elite programs.
“Recognizing the standard that has been held here for years,” Jones said. “Recognizing that it doesn’t matter (that it’s a) new coaching staff. The standard at Grayson doesn’t change, so all of us just had to lock in and just realize who we are and realize what our identity is.”