Shades of Gray

Shades of Gray

Former Marion DC “ pleased” to be in West Memphis

WM School District Butch Gray is back in Crittenden County and, judging by his comments, couldn't be happier.

The new defensive coordinator for the West Memphis Blue Devils spent seven years in the same role at Marion High School under former Patriot head coach Mark Uhiren.

After two years as the DC at Fountain Lake Gray is back in the Delta.

'I'm real excited to be back in this part of the state,' said Gray. 'West Memphis is a good school, with a great athletic program and good football tradition. I'm pleased to be here, I'll tell you that.'

And Gray is in familiar territory as far as football philosophy is concerned.

He said he's never led a defensive unit where the offensive scheme is to throw, score a lot and score quick.

It puts more pressure on a defense under those circumstances. In Blue Devil head coach Billy Elmore's offensive system, West Memphis will run and pass equally, first establishing the ground game.

'I don't think I could coach in a system that throws it around the park 40 or 50 times a game,' Gray said with a smile.

'I've worked for the same type of (head coach) my whole career. That part of the transition has been good, too.'

Gray, who spent 2005-06 as the head coach at El Dorado, gets high marks from his current boss, too.

'I can't be any more pleased than I am with Butch and the rest of our defensive staff,' said Elmore. 'They've got our defense playing hard. I've got a base defense that I like to run and we're never going to deviate from that.

But Coach Gray and his staff are doing great with it. He's molded his beliefs into what we do, but he's added some things to it.

Coach Gray is a real technical coach and very detail-minded.'

Gray has a solid nucleus returning on his side of the ball. The Blue Devil defense returns starters Rayshaad Hall at left corner, Decameron King at one defensive end, Jerry Edwards and Kentrell Allen at linebackers and Kaylon Gilmer at the nose. Gray's defense will give a public preview Tuesday at Hamilton-Shultz when the Blue Devils take on Batesville in a preseason scrimmage at 6 p.m.

Batesville, which finished 9-4 last season, advanced to the Class 5A state playoffs in 2015, losing to Little Rock McClellan.

Tickets to Tuesday's scrimmage are $4. Only Arkansas Activities Association passes will be recognized.

By Billy Woods