Quarterback Grier leads junior-laden, talented South Charleston

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Year one under head coach Donnie Mays was a success for South Charleston. The Black Eagles, who had missed the playoffs in 2011 and 2012, got back into the postseason last year after a 7-3 regular season record.

Despite an opening round 55-34 loss to Wheeling Park, Mays’ club returns a plethora of talent that could put South Charleston back into the Class AAA championship mix.

“We’ve upped our goal and we expect to play 14 games this year,” Mays said. “We have all of our offensive linemen back, (running back) A.D. Cunningham back, along with (quarterback) Kentre Grier, slot receiver Fred Crozier and receiver B.J. Moore. We’re working in two new guys on the outside, but we feel like we have a pretty good football team and our expectations are to play 14 games this year.”

Cunningham, a rising senior, rushed for 1,042 yards and 11 scores for the Black Eagles last year, to go along with 19 catches for 269 yards and five touchdowns as well – he committed earlier this year to play college football at Charlotte.

“I think A.D. is going to have a break-out season,” Mays said. “He weighed 205 (last year) and is up to about 215 right now – he’s put on that weight and become a bit of a force, so I think that will help. He’s also cut his 40-time down from a 4.7 to a 4.6. He’s done a lot in this offseason to get better.”

Rising junior quarterback Kentre Grier, meanwhile, has established himself as one of the more dynamic athletes in the state.

“He’s had a real nice offseason and has been in the weight-room religiously,” Mays said. “He went down to Clemson and had a great camp – they rank their quarterbacks (at the camp) and he finished in the top three or four quarterbacks down there.”

South Charleston quarterback Kentre Grier has been receiving D-I recruiting interest as he heads into his junior season.

For Grier, though, right now the focus has been on getting his South Charleston team back into the deeper rounds of the postseason.

“I have a lot of faith in my team this year,” Grier said. “I have been working really hard in the offseason, but I’m not trying to focus on myself – I’m trying to focus on my teammates and where I can lead them. We have A.D. and Fred back, along with the whole line. A.D. is a great running back and great teammate to play with, he gives me confidence and I love having him on the team.”

Grier has had recruiting interest from WVU, Marshall, Akron, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Wake Forest and VMI.

“We’re just working hard and trying to see who is out there, trying to get myself better,” he said. “Hopefully someone will believe in me and give me a chance.”

The Black Eagles lost those three regular season games last year by a combined 14 points (George Washington 24-17, Capital 34-31 and Huntington 21-17).

“Our goal is to be focused, when we are and come to play, we’re a tough team to beat,” Mays said. “We get to open up the season at our place against George Washington. We’re getting a lot of things done, we’re going to have a video board up and it will be a nice little setup for people, they’re going to enjoy it.”

SOUTH CHARLESTON
Senior Football Schedule

 Events
08/28/14 07:30PM  H  GEORGE WASHINGTON   
09/05/14 07:30PM  A  ST. ALBANS   
09/12/14 07:30PM  H  SPRING VALLEY   
09/19/14 07:30PM  A  NITRO   
09/26/14 07:30PM  A  CAPITAL   
10/03/14 07:30PM  A  PARKERSBURG   
10/10/14 07:30PM  H  RIPLEY   
10/17/14 07:30PM  A  WINFIELD   
10/24/14 07:30PM  H  RIVERSIDE   
10  10/31/14 07:30PM  H  HUNTINGTON   
 wins: 0   lost: 0   ties: 0

 

Other 2014 HS Football Previews:

Cabell Midland

George Washington

Greenbrier West

Huntington

Martinsburg

Morgantown

Point Pleasant

Spring Valley

Wheeling Park





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