Extra Point Previews: G.W. Long Rebels

SKIPPERVILLE, Ala ( WDHN ) — G.W. Long is a team in the high school football landscape that always manages to be competitive under head coach David Watts, with three losses being the most in a Rebel regular season since 2018. But key contributors like Bryson Hughes and Brayden Whitehead have moved on to the next level, and it’s next man up for the Rebels.

At quarterback, it will be sophomore Preston Williams stepping in. He was the JV quarterback last season but had to step in and make the start in the playoffs for the Rebels. While they couldn’t come away with the win, that experience is still worth a lot.

“That game experience for a quarterback is huge,” said Coach David Watts. “He’s going to be a really good player for us. The thing that he’s lacking right now is that experience, so getting a little bit of a head start obviously is a big help.”

The Rebels also expect some added explosiveness on the offense from Jeremiah Hairston, who makes the move from wide receiver to running back in 2024.

“He does have the experience of being on the field, just in a little bit different role, but both those guys are explosive players, good first step.” said Watts. “They’re both hard workers, work hard in the weight room, work hard on the practice field. So we look forward to seeing what they can do.”

Defensively, the Rebels will be led by senior Hunter Kerchner in the trenches. The team brings back a lot of starting experience around him. Linebackers Blaine Wood, Michael Forrest, and Marvin McLeod all return with starting experience, and two-year starter at corner Cam Richards will lead the secondary.

For the Rebels, though, it’s rarely ever about a surplus of talent they bring to the table. It all comes back to a work ethic that’s instilled by a strong community around them.

“We’ve got a good community,” said Watts. “A lot of hard-working folks. We’ve got good kids. They work hard, they show up, they come to the weight room. They get after it. And you know that our expectation, we tell them constantly, the chances that we’re going to go out and just be better athletes and be bigger and faster and stronger than other people, it’s probably pretty slim, so our expectation is to work really hard and try to outwork people and be smart football players, and they do a good job of that.”

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