With an opening-slate of non-region games to begin the season starting Aug. 21 against the nation’s most storied high school football program in Valdosta, challenges will undoubtedly come early for the Greyhounds.
The pump was primed toward being ready for that rigor last week when Jones County traveled to Carrollton for its second shared practice of the summer, this one against Carrollton.
Jones County also had a joint practice earlier in the summer with Vidalia.
“I really enjoyed seeing our guys in competitive environments. I think there’s a lot to be said about your team’s mental toughness with how you operate under pressure with other people’s eyes on you,” Greyhounds head coach Justin Montgomery said. “It’s good for me as a head coach to see how our travel logistics are, seeing how our kids are getting off the bus and getting going.”
Montgomery has a strong familiarity with both programs, moreso with Carrollton as he was the Trojans’ defensive coordinator before taking the helm in Gray. That background is a key reason in how the Greyhounds coaching staff mapped out the summer workouts against both two programs such as Vidalia and Carrollton.
“I know how they practice, I get a big leery going against someone else and practicing because I’m trying to protect my quarterback, and we want to make sure our guys are staying off the ground and on their feet,” Montgomery said. “You aren’t going to win a championship in June or July by getting a guy on the ground or getting a sack, but you can dang sure lose one by not taking care of your people.”
Carrollton has finished as state runner-up in Georgia’s largest classification in three of the past four years. An exposure to that level of play is something that stands to do nothing but help JCHS moving ahead.
“Obviously, we have Valdosta in game one,” Montgomery said. “So, going against a high-caliber program like Carrollton, that was good for our guys. I think we really made some strides.”
Another tangible upside for the Greyhounds of a one-opponent shared practice opposed to multiple- team workouts? More snaps across the board.
“Being able to come back home and seeing film of 160 reps, that’s huge for evaluation,” Montgomery said.
