McCall’s Gultrey following in family’s footsteps

Published 12:00 am Thursday, September 25, 2003

[9/25/03]TALLULAH After a hard night of leading the McCall Dragons’ offense up and down the field, it never takes long for Brandon Gultrey to find out how he played.

He doesn’t watch film or play the game back in his head every Friday night. He just listens to his mom.

“She just tells me, Brandon, that was a good game, but you should have completed more passes.’ Or, You need to be more careful so you don’t get hit as much,'” Gultrey said.

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Kathy Gultrey’s advice is the first bit of feedback Brandon gets from his family. They’re not trying to meddle, they’ve just been down the same road.

Brandon, a lanky 5-foot-10, 160-pound senior left-hander, is the latest in a line of Gultreys to play quarterback for McCall. His father, Robert, and brothers Ronald Gultrey and Kevin Brooks also played the position for the Dragons.

All are quick to offer a word of encouragement or advice when needed. Just as often, they’ll issue a challenge.

“(Brooks) still to this day puts pressure on me. His senior year he threw for 3,000 yards and ran for about a thousand, so he said you have to get to where I got,” Brandon Gultrey said with a laugh. “It really helps me out having a coach off the field besides my own coaches. They just let me know my mistakes.”

Brandon’s football training began at a young age. He said his father would teach him plays in the yard when he was a small child, and it was only a matter of time until he followed the family tradition.

“When I came down here, there was no question what I was going to play,” Brandon said.

After playing wide receiver during his freshman season at McCall, Brandon became the starting quarterback in his sophomore year.

Gultrey’s biggest job in 2001 was to hand off to running back Jeramie O’Neal, who ran for more than 2,000 yards and was selected the Vicksburg Post’s Area Player of the Year.

Having a veteran team around him in his first season under center helped relax Gultrey, and his own production increased dramatically last year. He threw for nearly 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns in helping the Dragons reach the Class 2A playoffs, where they lost to eventual state semifinalist Riverside in the first round.

In the season opener against archrival Tallulah High, Gultrey completed 6 of 8 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a 7-yard score as the Dragons routed Tallulah 57-0. He has passed for more than 500 yards so far this season.

Gultrey is also a star on the basketball court and in the classroom at McCall.

He helped the basketball team to the state quarterfinals last season, and has a 3.5 GPA. He has already passed the ACT and is generating interest from several colleges for football and basketball.

“It’s a goal for me to go farther in football or basketball,” Gultrey said. “I’m not looking at one over the other.”

As he grows into a leadership role for the 2003 football season, Gultrey has spent the summer watching game film and learning to better read defenses. He’s also worked on putting more touch on his throws. His biggest lesson, however, will be in patience.

Gultrey is the only starter returning on offense for the Dragons, and plays behind a young and inexperienced offensive line.

McCall coach Levi Washington expects the younger players to improve quickly, but said Gultrey will have to carry the Dragons’ offense for the first half of the season.

“He’s going to be the one that, if he stays healthy, he can keep us in the ballgame,” Washington said. “He brings leadership to the table, but he’s going to have to be patient with that line.”

Gultrey said he expects the first half of the season to be a challenge. After that, though, he expects the Dragons to come together and make some noise in the District 4-2A playoff race.

McCall doesn’t play a district game until the seventh week of the season, right around the time everything should be coming together.

“The first couple games I’m going to have to pace myself and get used to their style,” Gultrey said. “I believe after the first three games there’s going to be a major turnaround, because guys are going to get used to the physicality of high school football.”