Grovetown looks to establish traditions in inaugural season

At some point Friday, Grovetown High assistant football coach Eddie Lord might yell, "Hey, hey!" And Warriors football players should respond, "Hey, hey!"

//

The chant might not be categorized as a tradition, just a quirky phrase that sprang from weeks of practice that started during the spring.

"That's kind of like their little battle cry right now," Warriors coach Rodney Holder said. "It puts a smile on their face and gets them ready for practice."

Grovetown coaches and players will tell you they don't have traditions yet. But that's what has them excited as they prepare to travel to Buford on Friday for the first football game in school history.

Nearly everything that happens for Grovetown this season will be a first -- first completion, first touchdown pass, first touchdown catch, first carry, first rushing touchdown, first sack, etc. The list has few limits. That's what Holder told his players after their first official practice of the summer, when they took the field in their brand new stadium and turned the lights on. Holder ran off a list of all the firsts the team had already accomplished in one day of practice.

The milestones will ensure players a place in Grovetown's history books, but they want more than that. The Warriors want to field a competitive product.

They say all the rest -- the records, the recognition, the tradition -- will work itself out.

"We're going to have tradition," junior quarterback and safety Xavier Crain said. "What I want to focus on is (the seniors') last 10 games. I want them to remember the 10 games they had here at Grovetown."

Said senior teammate Dominique Mingo: "People like him, that's why we came together so good. He's not the only one to play like that. That's why we're like a family."

The Warriors' family is a diverse one. Many, like Crain and Mingo, were rezoned from Harlem High. But Holder said athletes from various states and countries continue to move into the area, and that his numbers have crept up.

Holder is aware of the challenges the school's first team faces, especially with the grueling schedule he lined up. He said success the first year would be measured on the level of improvement he sees each week, not necessarily on wins and losses.

"Our situation, being new, it's going to be a win-win," Holder said. "Every game we play, as long as we're better the next week than the week before, that's all we're shooting for."

Crain said Buford has been the focus of everything the Grovetown football team has done since the Warriors learned who their first opponent would be.

The Wolves clinched the program's sixth state title in 2008 and finished the season 15-0. Mingo said the thought of opening the season at Buford helped him during summer weight-lifting.

"We weren't even at the school yet, and we were like, 'Man, we're playing Buford,'" Mingo said.

Hey, hey.