Gray heads to prep school

By Dustin Kent

Published: May 15, 2008

After a stellar career for the Cottondale Hornets, Dezmond Gray will take his game to Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va.

Gray, who starred as a wide receiver for the Hornets and caught 53 passes for 1,003 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2007, recently made the trip to Virginia to solidify his spot on the 2008 Hargrave squad, learning a week later that he made the team.

The three-hour workout included the 40-yard dash, the bench press and 7-on-7 offensive drills.

“I got a lot of good feedback from (Hargrave coach Robert Prunti),” Gray said Thursday. “I bench-pressed 225 pounds 15 times and he was very surprised by that.”

Gray reports to Hargrave Aug. 18 with the 2008 season starting Sept. 17.

The Academy gives high school graduates an extra post-graduate year to prep for college, with 37 Hargrave athletes attending Division-I schools in the past year.

Among the school’s famous alumni are NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver Torry Holt, NBA stars David West and Josh Howard and NBA coaching legend Larry Brown.

Gray, who was recruited by Vanderbilt before his second ACT score was flagged for a 10-point jump, said he planned on enrolling at a D-I school for the spring semester, though he wasn’t sure which one just yet.

“It’s not a guarantee that I’ll be going to Vandy,” Gray said. “I can go anywhere else. It just depends on how I produce.

“Right now, I’ve just got to produce on the field to have a chance to go D-I.”

Gray scored a 17 on his first ACT attempt, then scored a 27 on his final attempt a year-and-a-half later.

However, Gray said there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for the jump.

“I think honestly it was just because I did a lot of tutoring with teachers at school and I was going home every day and doing the ACT prep online,” he said. “I gained a lot more knowledge in that year-and-a-half.”

Gray said he was upset that he couldn’t go straight to a D-I school out of high school, but he was putting a positive spin on the situation.

“I was disappointed,” he said, “but I looked at some of the guys who have been to prep school and it makes you think you can develop and benefit from that extra year of knowledge. I might get more mature and I don’t have to lose a year of eligibility.”

Cottondale coach Mike Melvin also said that it could be a blessing in disguise for Gray.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for him,” the coach said. “Hargrave is probably the top prep school in the nation. I think it’s a great chance for Dezmond to get some more looks from a lot more colleges.”

Gray said that he has been working out five days a week in preparation for the fall, which he said he believes could hold great things for him on the football field.

“I think I’ll be able to produce a lot,” he said. “(Prunti) said that this could be the best Hargrave team ever, so I think I’ll be able to do good.

“I just can’t slack around in anything. I’ve got to be at the head of the line every time.”