COVINGTON, Ga. — Prior to Camiel Grant Jr.'s ascension to lead the Newton Rams football team four years ago, the Rams experienced quite a few lopsided losses to high profile opponents. 

When Newton went up against teams like Grayson, Archer and Mill Creek, the Rams often found themselves suffering double-digit defeats. 

However, that has changed with Grant at the helm, as Newton became more competitive in such matchups under his direction. 

With Grant's decision to step down — which he announced on Friday — he believes getting Newton closer to its top-tier opposition defined his tenure. 

“I think we have closed the gap when, at the end of coach [Terrance] Banks’ era and coming into my time, we entered this region,” Grant said. “We haven’t gotten Grayson, but we’ve knocked off Parkview and beat Archer. We haven’t done that in the past.”

In the second year of Grant's time, the Rams didn't fare well against the top tier teams on their schedule. Included in the program’s six losses was a 35-7 defeat to Parkview, a 31-0 loss against Mill Creek and a 37-0 loss at Grayson. 

Newton did, however, defeat Region 4-AAAAAAA foe Brookwood 28-16 at home. That was the sixth-ever win against the Broncos and first since 1994. 

The Rams showed progress the next year albeit during a COVID-19 affected 2021 season. 

RELATED CONTENT: Newton football coach Camiel Grant, Jr. resigns.

ICYMI: Here's how this Rams' wrestler is becoming one of program's best.

For instance, Newton went on the road and enjoyed its only win against McEachern to the tune of 39-21. It defeated Parkview 27-24, too. 

Two losses that were uneven the year before were much closer. The Rams narrowed the deficit to a 17-14 loss against Mill Creek and only lost to Grayson by eight — the closest Newton has ever gotten to defeating the other Rams’ squad of Region 4-AAAAAAA in seven attempts. 

This past season — which turned out to be Grant's final one — Newton turned quite a few heads in its performance. 

Even though the Rams lost to Grayson 26-0, they did turn it around and narrowed the gap with only an eight-point loss to Brookwood. That preceded arguably one of the best wins on Grant's resume, defeating Parkview in upset fashion 20-18 on the road. 

Grant became the first coach since Sam Marra in the 1987 region championship season to defeat the Panthers. The two consecutive wins against Parkview are the first since the 1982 and 1983 seasons, too. 

The Rams also enjoyed back-to-back wins at South Gwinnett and a 19-11 win against Archer to close this past season. The latter was the Rams’ first ever win against the Tigers.

Athletic director Vincent Byams acknowledged that the Rams have ceased being “the door mat of the region” under Grant’s tutelage. 

“Our goals are not just to win the Newton Cup, but it’s to win the state championship,” Byams said. “With that being said, we’re looking for the coach that’s going to inspire our kids to be better on and off the field. Because, the win at the end of the day, is when we have young men who are going to be great outside in our community.” 

Last year, Newton's 3-0 start had it ranked in the top 10 for the first time in 11 seasons, too.  

But, none of the wins or losses came to mind when Grant was asked what he'll miss the most about coaching. 

“It’s the relationships you build with the kids,” Grant said. “I love to coach football and I think I’m at a place where I’m OK being away from the coaching part. But I’ll have a hard time knowing that I won’t have that closeness with the players that I’ve had for 30 years.” 

Some of those kids embraced Grant immediately after his announcement in Newton High’s auditorium Friday morning before Christmas Break. 

Newton saw well over 20 players sign national letters of intent on Grant's watch to continue their careers past high school. His tenure helped continue Newton’s position as the area school that consistently produces the most Division I and Power 5 athletes. 

Players like Nyland Green (Georgia), Audavion Collins (Mississippi State), Elijah Zollicoffer (Arkansas State) and, currently, 3-star defensive lineman Justin Benton who’s committed to West Virginia and has multiple D-I and Power 5 offers, have all developed their talents under Grant. 

The COVID-19 pandemic — which proved to be a tough stretch for coaches everywhere — also dominated Grant's time at the program’s helm. 

Uncertainty hovered over the program concerning whether or not the Rams — or any team for that matter — would even have a season. Plus, all the safety measures implemented heavily impacted each team. 

Upon reflection of that time, Grant highlighted how things began looking different. 

“For me, I was concerned about being away from the guys, the influence we have on them and my mindset was more on finding ways to engage them if we can’t play football,” Grant said. “And I felt like so many more people were only concerned about playing football.” 

While Grant was head coach for four years, he surely was no stranger to Newton County when he took the job. He’s been a part of the community since he came to join Nick Collins’ staff in 2008. 

Since his arrival, Grant has worn many hats. He served as a business education, engineering and weight training teacher. In athletics, Grant has been a position coach, special teams and offensive coordinator in addition to being the assistant head coach. 

And, while being the head coach the past few seasons, Grant has also been the assistant athletic director — a position he plans to remain in despite stepping down as head football coach. 

Dr. Shannon Buff, NHS’ principal, stressed how it’s going to be difficult to find a new head football coach. And, while Buff aims to have the next football coach in place by the end of January 2023, she stated that “you’re not going to get another coach Grant.”

“We’re looking for someone who can help us to be even more competitive with those schools that are in our region,” Buff said. “I want someone who has great character. Having someone who knows and loves our community is going to be important to me, but the most important thing for me is they have to love the kids. I’ve got to see that they’re committed to this school as a whole.” 

Though he'll no longer be the head coach and will now be playing more disc golf, Grant remains hopeful for what the next few years hold for the Rams football team. 

And he believes that whoever takes the reins of the Newton football program next will have a strong foundation to build upon. 

“When I came here 14 years ago, this program was used to the 1-9, 0-10 and 2-8 seasons,” Grant said. “Nick Collins was the beginning of changing the culture to where we are now. And Cortez Allen did a great job of bringing us to the level of respectability. Then, when coach Banks came in, we went to a place where we were in the third round of the playoffs.” 

“Now, with me stepping in, we’ve gotten to a point where playoffs are the expectation and that’s where we belong.”