Gray, Waubonsie look to avoid coming up short

Updated: July 11, 2011 12:36PM

Less than the length of a brand new No. 2 pencil haunts Waubonsie Valley senior Demetrius Gray.

Despite the 6-3 wide receiver’s best effort, his catch on fourth down of the Warriors’ 34-28 overtime playoff loss to Homewood-Flossmoor last season came up six inches short of being the potential game-winning touchdown.

He’s determined to make new memories this year that erase the one currently imprinted on his brain.

“It drives me every single day ... every single day,” Gray said, driving home his point. “I wake up thinking about it. (Groans) It eats at me every day.”

With Eric Josupait off to Augustana to play college ball, Gray will take on the No. 1 role this season for the wide receiving corps, which means plenty more double coverage and safety help over the top to worry about.

It’s the reason Gray has been working this summer on little things like running a six-inch deeper route and catching the ball with his hands instead of letting it come into his body.

The difference could be a win and a restful night of sleep, and he’s letting his teammates know it.

“I go hard on the receivers like I treat myself,” Gray said. “The coaches will get on me and then I get on them. We should all go hard. And I feel like we’re one big family. If we get our routes sharp then everybody will get the ball. And if I’m double-covered, then it opens up touchdowns for everyone else.”

The wide receivers and the rest of the team were on display Saturday at Downers South as the Warriors participated in a 16-team 7-on-7 passing game and lineman challenge.

Waubonsie went 8-3 overall last year before the bow out in the second round of the 8A playoffs. They were 6-1 in the Upstate Eight, but this year they are in the familiar position of replacing a one-year quarterback.

Tommy Kolzow came on last year in replacement of Kenny Clay and the Warriors improved, breaking the school’s long streak of first-round playoff losses.

The duty as signal caller will fall to senior Mitch Stefani or junior Dylan Warden, and with that comes the importance of not trying to do too much.

“They need reps,” Waubonsie coach Paul Murphy said. “They need to get used to the speed, especially the younger guys. They want to throw everything deep. You have to teach them to take what the defense gives you and where to throw it on the field to best complete it. You can have the fastest receiver in the world like we have with Gray, but you try to hit him on a fade route 30 yards down the field, the safety is going to get there. But if you get it to him at 17-20 yards, he’s got a better chance of catching it because the safety can’t get off the hash.”

Kolzow wound up at Wisconsin-Whitewater, while five other Warriors also made their way to the college of their choice.

Tight end Mark Szott is at Northwestern. Defensive end Devon Morgan is at Dayton. Defensive back Jakobi Johnson is at Princeton. Factor in the losses of three other all-conference selections and Waubonsie has a lot to replace.

But the cupboard is also not barren. Six-foot-2 Brandon Malby will complement Gray at wide receiver. Linebacker Austin Lacke will solidify the defense and junior running back Austin Guido, he of a 200-yard rushing game in Week 10, will be the starter for a second straight year and is a huge threat in the passing game.

“We’re going to find out if we can reload,” Murphy said. “When you’re an 8A school, it’s not rebuild, it’s see if you can reload. Our senior numbers are down a bit because of the split with Metea. Of the 75 varsity guys, we probably have 50 juniors. It’s can the juniors step up and be ready to help us play varsity ball. They were 8-1 as freshman, 8-1 as sophomores, so there’s some ability there. It’s now can they make the jump to varsity.”

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