MCDONOUGH — If there was ever any doubt about the toughness that exists within the Jones County football program, it was arguably cast aside on Friday night at Ola.
After trailing by two scores just out of halftime and nearly going down by three possessions, the Greyhounds held firm onto the rope, even in overtime.
It was there, however, that Jones County prevailed as Jacob Watts’ 38-yard field goal was up and through the uprights as the Greyhounds won 17-14 against a Mustangs team that had beaten them the past two seasons and in three of the last four meetings.
“It felt amazing,” Watts said. “When I was walking up there, I was picturing it going in.”
On Friday, it was Jones County’s turn to dish out some heartbreak that put the Greyhounds as one of two teams in the region with 2-0 records alongside Warner Robins. Jones County will aim to go 3-0 to begin region play for the first time since 2023 when it hosts Union Grove on Friday for homecoming. JCHS is 3-3 overall with those losses coming to three teams – Valdosta, Peach County and Houston County – that have lost a combined two games. On Friday against Ola, the scars and bruises from those defeats helped the Greyhounds persevere.
“We go through adversity almost every day,” Jones County quarterback Jonathan Hurley said. “We found a way. Coming in, we were battle-ready.”
The Greyhounds find themselves in that position after rallying back against the Mustangs, who scored on the game’s opening drive as well as a 15-yard drive at the start of the third quarter after a punt return combined with penalty yardage. Ola nearly made that lead 17-0 with 5:22 left in the third before the Greyhounds defense held, forcing a missed 35-yard field goal.
Not being able to put Jones County away proved costly to Ola. The Greyhounds, who drove inside the Mustangs 25-yard line twice in the first half, were able to do what they couldn’t in the first two quarters – finish scoring drives and turn them into points.
With the running of Kaden Canty and Travis Miller combined with the downfield passing of Hurley, the Greyhounds were able to mix their offense up enough to keep the Mustangs honest defensively. It took just over three quarters, but Jones County found the end zone just nine seconds into the fourth quarter when Hurley screened out a pass to Canty, who took it 39 yards to paydirt for the touchdown, slicing the Ola lead to 14-7.
After getting a defensive stop, Jones County drove downfield to tie the score, as Hurley found Trey Allen streaking toward the end zone corner, tying the score 14-14 from 32 yards out with 3:21 to play. But JCHS was not finished. After back-toback sacks from a defense that was led by Hunter Hardwick’s 17 tackles and one sack, the Greyhounds got the ball back and drove toward the end zone before being stopped just before time expired on a fourth and one inside the Mustangs 25, setting the table for overtime.
Ola got the ball first in the first overtime possession, and it nearly went ahead before a thirddown jump pass out of the offensive backfield was picked off by Ayjuan Fuller, who along with Wayne McCormick had interceptions on Friday. Jones County steadily moved toward the end zone, but hopes of a chip shot field goal to win it faded when a fourth and short turned into long yardage on a personal foul penalty that was verbally protested with great vigor by Jones County fans behind the Greyhounds bench.
That set up Watts for a 38-yard field goal, which he drilled for the game-winning kick before being mobbed by his teammates.
“A lot of people on this team have not beaten Ola before,” Hurley said. “So to be able to do that, it’s huge.”
