The 2024 season was full of challenges for the Gray Collegiate War Eagles. Sanctions by the South Carolina High School League forced Gray to forfeit the season resulting in an 0-10 debut for second year head coach De’Angelo Bryant.
“It was very unfortunate what happened at the end of the season,” Bryant said. “It left a sour taste in our returners’ mouths. Once the season starts it’ll be over 200 days since our guys have put on a helmet and got to battle. It’s something we’ve carried on throughout the offseason. We reminded them with how their season ended. It’s something we want to put behind us, but also have a little remembrance of it too to motivate our guys and find some positivity in everything we went through. It’s just something that hasn’t been harped on every single day but something that has been brought up often during the offseason.”
Through the turmoil off the field at the end of the season and the chaotic way the region schedule played out, with six games being played between October 11 and November 8, Bryant learned a lot about his team.
Gray Colleigate head coach De’Angelo Bryant
“The biggest thing was with me being a new coach coming in the guys were trying to figure me out and I was trying to figure them out,” Bryant said. “I learned about the resiliency the team had. It was something that stood out through the summer workouts and into the season. We faced adversity all season long. The kids showed a tremendous amount of resiliency throughout the process.”
Gray’s offense is led by third-year quarterback Tyler Waller.
“Everything runs through him,” Bryant said. “We are going to be asking more from him this year. It puts coaches at ease to have a commander and a leader out there. It’s going to be a challenging stage for him as we put more on him. We are definitely going to look to him for his leadership, how he handles practices and games.”
Waller knows what it takes to get the War Eagles to a state championship, having started for Gray against Oceanside in the 2023 2A State Championship game. Even with Waller’s experience, Bryant still wants his quarterback to continue working on his decision making.
Waller will be able to count on offensive lineman Jack Armstrong to lead the unit charged with protecting him.
Gray also has a running back duo ready to carry the load whenever Waller needs them in Nate Dixon, who played behind B.J. Montgomery last year, and Gilbert transfer Tre’von Williamson.
The receiving corps may be one of the War Eagles’ deepest units with Hiszari Gantt, Jai Chuniesingh, Royce Williamson, and Corey Gleaton all able to make an impact on Gray’s offense.
There is no mystery who the leader is for the War Eagles’ defense, linebacker Michael Boulware. Another multi-year starter, Boulware has had a tremendous offseason, and coaches are expecting a similar jump from his sophomore to junior year as they did from his freshman to sophomore year.
He will need to have that type of jump to help out a young, inexperienced defensive line. While Bryant didn’t mention any specific players who have stood out for the defensive line so far, he was confident the starting four would be clear by the beginning of the season.
J.P. Sweatt and Ty Rivers will join Boulware in the linebacker corps.
The secondary will be full of talented athletes as well. Caleb Raysor returns after coming up with 66 tackles from his cornerback position last year. Gleaton will also be a factor in the secondary. Bryant says he will put Gleaton in more man coverage situations. Royal and Royce Williamson provide an upgrade for Gray at the safety position.
As the War Eagles prepare for its second trip in the 4A classification, they open the season on the road at James Island and Marlboro County before hosting three-time defending 5A Division 1 state champion Dutch Fork.
That trio of games will have the War Eagles well prepared for the Region 4-4A slate that awaits them. They start off with a Midland Valley team considered a dark horse in the region with a first year head coach. Gray comes back home to host a highly anticipated game against defending region champion North Augusta. A pair of rivals welcome the War Eagles into October with trips to Brookland Cayce and Airport, before Gray finishes the regular season with two Aiken schools and Gilbert.
“We want to be the best,” Bryant said. “We talk about our belief and our effort and our standard. That’s where we want to be. That’s my expectation on a daily basis. We practice to be the best. We game plan to be the best from a coaching standpoint. We understand we will be facing some challenges this year. We have to control our own narrative. It’s easy to talk about what happened to us last year, but this is about 2025. Our goal, our expectation is to be playing Thanksgiving weekend and to finish strong. We want to have an opportunity to play for and win a state championship. We have a goal of winning the region. I truly believe this team has a lot of greatness.”
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