The idea for the play started during a scenario drill at the tail end of an Amarillo High School football practice.

Faced with the situation of being down by four with just seconds remaining, Amarillo was practicing its desperation laterals.

“We had just passed it to my wide receiver, and I was drop-stepping,” said Erik Gray, a star senior offensive lineman at Amarillo. “I went to the other side of the field, and he threw it to me. I made a couple guys miss, and I just took it to the house.”

From there, an idea was born. After Gray’s memorable play in practice, the Amarillo coaching staff designed a play that would see him on the receiving end of a hook-and-ladder. In its game against Lubbock, with Amarillo up 37-3 and at its own 27-yard line with just seconds left in the first half, the perfect opportunity presented itself to run the play.

Amarillo quarterback Brock Wade threw a quick screen to one of his receivers who quickly pitched it to Gray. From there, it was off to the races.

“As soon as he pitched it to me, it literally looked like the Red Sea; it just parted,” Gray said. “My teammates are so excited; they’re not even blocking anybody. A dude comes out of nowhere, I had to give him the stiff arm, and I scored. The crowd was going crazy.”

A 73-yard catch-and-run touchdown by an offensive lineman is not a normal feat, but Gray isn’t your everyday offensive lineman. His mind-boggling athleticism at 6’2” and 280 pounds (he says he can dunk a basketball and runs the 40-yard dash in the 4.8 second range) has caught the attention of college recruiters across the country.

Gray currently has 12 Division I offers, including in-state offers from Houston, North Texas and Texas State and a lone Power Five offer from Arizona State. Despite playing offensive tackle and defensive tackle for Amarillo, he said he is mainly being recruited as an offensive guard.

And although he says offers from the likes of Oklahoma, UCLA, and one of the top Florida schools would be a dream, he is extremely appreciative for each and every one of his 12 offers.

“I’m excited for all my offers,” Gray said. “I really like Arizona State. Houston is really nice; San Diego State is really nice. I’m just grateful for all my offers because they can be taken away just like that.”

Gray made stops at North Texas and Colorado State in June and made a recent stop at Houston on July 27. He also said he is considering visits to Tulsa and UNLV depending on expenses. When he does visit different colleges, he is looking for a school that will feel like his home away from Amarillo.

“I want to be able to feel like I’m welcome,” Gray said. “I’m going to be there for four years. That’s a long time. I want to be able have a relationship with the coaches like they’re my family, and I want the coaches to treat me like I’m one of theirs.”

For now, Gray said he isn’t sure when he will commit, but he is thinking that it will likely be during the second semester of the 2021-22 school year.

When he does end up committing, Gray will add another chapter to the story of his football family.  His dad was set to play at Tulsa before an injury denied him that opportunity. Gray’s two older brothers also played football in high school for Tascosa, and his middle brother went on to play at Texas Tech. Gray followed in their footsteps and began playing the sport in kindergarten.

“Growing up, it was all about sports,” Gray said. “I didn’t really watch cartoons. I was watching football and ESPN, not doing the normal things a little kid would be doing.”

By the time he reached middle school, coaches could tell that there was something special about him.

“My eighth grade coach was one of the first ones that told me that I could make it big,” Gray said. “So I started my freshman year on varsity, and the head coach was telling me how he had never coached anyone like me. I kind of just put my head down and realized that I could make it to the next level.”

His first three years at Amarillo have been successful ones. The Sandies have extended their streak of consecutive playoff appearances to 12 and are coming off a 7-4 season. This past year, Gray earned first team all-district honors as an offensive tackle and was also awarded the Defensive Football Player of the Year at the 2021 Texas Panhandle High School Sports Awards despite the fact that defensive tackle is his secondary position.

But for Gray, his biggest goal when it comes to football isn’t personal fame or fortune. Instead, he is motivated by his mother. After his parents got divorced when he was young, his mom raised Gray and his two brothers.

He hopes that his senior season and his ensuing college commitment are just the beginning of a long football journey, so he can give back to his mother who worked so hard to raise him and his brothers.

 “I would do anything for my mom,” Gray said.  “She motivates me every day. Raising three kids on her own for 18 years, what do I not owe her?”