OTA hosted by Colquitt County High

MOULTRIE – It’s South Georgia in late July, and those visiting from the metro Atlanta area love it.

Colquitt County High football hosted three other high school teams the past three days for organized team activity (OTA) practice, and it was either quite warm on the heat index scale or darkening skies with developing thunderstorms. That’s the way it is during the summertime, which is also the time when these football players are at the tail end of summer workouts and on the eve of official practices.

While Packers would be used to these conditions, maybe people from Atlanta or above would have a hard time adjusting to the humidity. Gainesville High, under long-time head coach Bruce Miller, was back after attending last season to get a feel for what South Georgia football is all about.

Lenny Gregory was also in Moultrie in 2016, but as an assistant for Centennial High. After last season, he became the head football coach at Collins Hill High. He put Colquitt County High down in his preseason plans for the Eagles, which is having to prepare for Region 6-7A battles with Mill Creek, Peachtree Ridge and North Gwinnett.

“This is my third year coming down,” Gregory said while players were on a watermelon break Thursday. “What (Rush) Propst does down here at this camp is incredibly productive for us. I was at Centennial the last two years, and I felt this camp was one of the keys to our success. To come down here and really learn situations.

“The coaches here are all professional. We’re not trying to compete per se. We realize this is early and that the kids are learning. It’s a great chance for us to get out of North Georgia, get in a different environment and for our team to bond. This is our team camp.”

Basically, there are less distractions in Moultrie. Collins Hill is nestled in Suwanee. Gregory saw this as a chance to focus on football. Also, there’s a bit of a motivation factor in what they saw on the field.

“I told our kids there’s four teams, and what’s different about us at Collins Hill from the other three is we’re the only one without a state championship,” said Gregory, who coached Arizona Cardinals lineman Robert Nkemdiche while at Grayson. “We’re blessed to be here. That’s what I want my team to be around. We have a lot to accomplish to get to where they are.

“Colquitt County has set the bar for high school football Georgia … high school football in the country. Coach Propst changed football in Georgia.”

And it was Propst earlier proclaiming that the Eagles might be a group to look out for come playoff time.

“I think we have talent,” said Gregory. “I was defensive coordinator at Grayson for seven years. Being in Gwinnett County, I think the athletes and level of football is pretty good. I think we’re going to be very competitive.

“That’s a really tough region (6-7A). In my opinion, it’s the toughest 7A region in that there’s five really good football teams and only four get to go. I’m not saying they’re the best five teams (in Georgia), but it might be the toughest to get in.”