Some of the faces may have changed since last postseason for the Greyhounds, but the goal remains the same: to continue a standard of success that continues to put Jones County in position to win region titles and position itself for a deep postseason run.
JCHS, which went 8-4 last year, found itself with the opportunity to claim a region crown the last two seasons. Even after a large senior class graduated a season ago, a strong core of players remains in the fold for the Greyhounds, who will now see at least one new adversary in its path to region supremacy.
The Greyhounds open the season Aug. 16 at home against Veterans. That will be the only non-region game for the Hounds, as JCHS is in a 10-team region with nine other Henry County teams. While previous region front-runners Warner Robins and Dutchtown won’t be in the Greyhounds’ region, defending GHSA Class AAAA runner-up Stockbridge comes into the region as GHSA reclassification has moved JCHS from the AAAAA classification down to AAAA.
“We’re hungry. We have a lot of guys who didn’t play last year, so we have a lot of guys hungry,” said Zach Hurt, a Greyhounds defensive back who is also expected to see time at receiver.
And a good portion of those players eager to make an impact are likely to be on both sides of the ball. Since the start of spring practice and into the summer, the Greyhounds coaching staff has rotated multiple players in to play on both sides of the ball.
David Little has previously been a running back for the Greyhounds. He’s now slotted to contribute in the secondary. Linebacker DJ Ingram has also seen time at running back with Jaivon Solomon being another notable two-way player, also lining up in the defensive secondary during offseason work.
One instant upside to the Greyhounds’ new roster approach? As players get reps on both sides of the ball, the coaching staff has more options in case of injury or attrition.
“The good thing is you kind of create a lot of depth. It’s been a fun new thing for me. I’ve never been part of a team that’s had to play both ways,” Greyhounds head coach Mike Chastain said.
On the offensive side of the ball, Jones County won’t have the constant explosive offensive threats of the past few years. That’s because Tyler Stewart and Zion Ragins have graduated, taking their lightning-fast speed to play on the collegiate level.
But the offensive cupboard is hardly cleaned out for JCHS. In fact, the Greyhounds still have some speed at receiver that has garnered attention from major college football programs.
Solomon, who over the summer verbally committed to Duke, is without a question the leading receiver returning. His 671 receiving yards last year nearly matched that of Ragins, and his seven touchdowns also tied Ragins for second on the team. Key for Jones County will be developing a secondary receiver option to keep opposing defenses honest. Kaden Johnson, JR Clark, Junior Holloway and Zach Hurt are among the potential names to step up in that regard.
On the ground, Little is the top returning rushing after being part of what at times was a rush-by-committee approach a season ago. Also a Greyhound wrestler, he averaged around six yards per carry last year. And young fans of the Disney movie “Encanto” may find themselves “talking about Bruno” with more rushing experience back in the form of Bruno Hicks, who tied for the team lead in rushing touchdowns with three.
If there’s a position group that does not lack experience, it’s quarterback. Two seasons ago and into early last year, Devin Edmonds split time and work with the top offense. But since Judd Anderson’s departure after the season’s second game in 2023, Edmonds assumed the role full-time. Taking advantage of his throwing ability and being able to move the pocket with his mobility, Edmonds passed for 2,818 yards last year, numbers that were good enough for him to be named first-team, all-region quarterback.
Now, after an offseason of working exclusively with the top offensive unit, Edmonds is set for his senior year, and he says that getting a full offseason of work with the No. 1 offense definitely has its upside.
“It just helps me see defenses and different types (of defense) better,” Edmonds said. “Seeing our guys fly around in practice, that’s really exciting. We’re all looking forward to the year.”
Over on defense, the Greyhounds will have another year within defensive coordinator Will Conner’s system. Now in his second year in Gray, Jones County’s defensive charges are another year into the scheme, flattening the learning curve that existed a season ago.
Much like on the offensive side, where key losses have to be replaced in the trenches, returning experience in the back seven offsets that. The tandem of linebackers on the outside of Boston College commit Zacari Thomas in addition to DJ Ingram should make Jones County’s defense one of the more formidable in the region. Conner is quick to point out that, as talented as both are, there’s more to the Greyhounds defense that just two standouts.
“We also have Daniel Hawk, who is basically me out there,” Conner said. “He’s getting into the checks and plugging holes for us in the middle.”
Critical for the linebacker group for JCHS will be the secondary with the likes of North Carolina commit Javion Butts, Princeton Whitening, Junior Holloway, Hurt and Little.
“With what our guys do on the back end, that allows (our linebackers) to go eat because we have guys like Junior Holloway and Zach Hurt who can fly around the ball,” Conner said. “We’re blessed to have some guys like that.”
And despite being an upperclassman, count Thomas as one eager to see what the Greyhounds will do this fall.
“We’ll have a lot of young guys on the field,” Thomas said. “They’ll get an opportunity to play and show what they can do.”
