HURRICANE -- A sign that hangs over the exit of the Hurricane football team’s locker room reads “Here: It’s not just football. It’s life.â€
It is a message that could not be truer for running back AJ Gregory, a senior who is one of the few holdovers from the 2024 Hurricane team that posted a 9-4 record and gaudy offensive numbers.
In 2025, with new coach Dustin Hatfield taking the reins and a lot of inexperienced talent around him, Gregory figures to be one of the biggest stars, if not the star, for Hurricane.
“He’s been in the program his whole life, so he’s a leader and he’s a fantastic football player, obviously,†Hatfield said of Gregory. “He’s one of the best backs in the state. He’s going to be the No. 1 back.â€
After a scrimmage on Friday against visiting Bluefield, Gregory said he put in the work to prepare for the load he might have to carry this season.
“A lot of running,†Gregory said of the conditioning he did before official practice began on Aug. 4. “I’ve gone so long without actually playing football, you’ve got to make sure you’re conditioned, so I’ve been doing a whole lot of running and a whole lot of weightlifting.â€
It felt good, Gregory said, to get to play against another team other than his own teammates for the first time this season.
Gregory played with the first-team offense on Friday against Bluefield, getting breaks for the second-team offense and the junior varsity players and alternating every 10 snaps, with the Beavers getting possession.
As the scrimmage wore on, Gregory was taken out after getting banged up, he said. “I’d say I had maybe 15 reps or so,†Gregory said.
Gregory also played defensive end for some Bluefield possessions. That’s a new position for the senior, who played outside linebacker last year.
Gregory’s ability to run the ball out of what Hatfield said would be single-back, two-back and three-back sets will likely be the bread and butter of the Hurricane offense this season, though the passing game won’t disappear despite the new faces.
That’s why the work put in during practice in August and the reps taken by the newer players on Friday were so important.
“In my eyes, the biggest difference [between the 2024 Hurricane team and this year’s] is just the amount of experience,†Gregory said. “We’ve had so many older guys with experience and so much varsity time [leave] compared to what we’re coming in here with. We only have seven or eight seniors and only three or four guys that have played varsity.
“It’s definitely a big difference, and getting the younger guys coached up is difficult, but I think we’ll pull through.â€
Rick Elmore covers sports. He can be reached at 304-348-5122 or relmore@hdmediallc.com. Follow @ElmoreSports on Twitter/X.
