GREYHOUND FOOTBALL
Jones County High School held its homecoming dance in the later hours on Friday night, but plenty of dancing had already taken place well before that, as the Greyhounds danced over and around Eagles Landing in a dominant 48-15 win.
Jones County’s offense, which rolled up 467 yards, found plenty of ways to be effective on Friday, starting with two first-quarter touchdown catches of more than 60 yards from Tyler Stewart and quarterback Devin Edmonds throwing for more than 260 yards on a night when eight different receivers caught at least one pass for the Greyhounds.
Not only that, but three different running backs rushed for a touchdown, aiding JCHS to a 41-0 halftime lead that put the running clock in place in the second half.
“I think the challenge was to start really fast. Eagles Landing has a lot of good players that are young, so you want to get ahead of those guys quick,” Greyhounds head coach Mike Chastain said. “Our guys stepped up and responded well. I’m proud of how our guys came out ready to play.”
The win advances Jones County to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in region play, but the intensity of region play is about to accelerate for the Greyhounds. The two region opponents so far – Eagles Landing and Locust Grove – did not make the playoffs last year. The next three, however, did. That road begins Friday with a road trip to Ola, which beat Jones County 22-15 last year.
The Mustangs fell from the ranks of the unbeaten last week, losing in the final seconds when Warner Robins, which trailed 13-0, scored on a two-point conversion. The challenge for the JCHS defense will be to slow the Mustangs wing-t offense that staked its way to a 13-0 lead and to prevent them from using up time with the clock-eating scoring drives. Ola gained 302 of its 371 yards on the ground last week.
“It’s a really big challenge. Those guys do a really good job. They’re a ball-control team that keeps it in possession most of the game.
Normally, you’re at around 12-15 possessions a game.
Last week, Warner Robins had eight, and last year against them, we had 12.
They’re going to limit your possessions, hold the clock and hold the ball. We’ve got to take care of business. They’re a really good football team.”
Big offensive starts like Jones County enjoyed Friday would also be a big advantage. Jones County needed little time to do that against Eagles Landing, when Edmonds found Stewart for a screen pass. Sixty-five yards later, Stewart had outraced the defense for a 7-0 lead.
The Greyhounds even bounced back from some early adversity. After Edmonds threw an interception on the next drive, Jones County’s defense that registered three sacks and four tackles for a loss stopped the Eagles on fourth down at the JCHS 14. After a pair of sizeable rushing gains by Bruno Hicks, Edmonds hit Stewart for a 64-yard touchdown, this one on a deep downfield route that ran the lead to 14-0 with 3:12 to go in the first, an advantage that was padded by a two-yard run by Jalyn Dekle to end the first quarter with a 20-0 lead.
Another running back kept the offensive pressure on in the second quarter.
After a defensive stop near midfield, Andrew Mullis ripped 46 yards through the teeth of the Eagles defense to make the lead 27-0, and he’d add an 11-yard run with 2:09 left in the half for a 34-0 lead to highlight performance of a three carries for 67 yards that led the Greyhounds on the ground.
Hicks, who rushed for 50 yards, scored from three yards away in the second half in what ended up being the final score of the night, complementing a defense that got two sacks from Ched Smith and one from Hunter Davis with tackles for a loss being via Omarion Tucker, Zacarri Thomas, DJ Ingram and Corey Williams. Tay Lattimore was the leading tackler with five as Junior Holloway, Smith and Princeton Whitening had four.
The play on both sides of the ball enabled the Greyhounds to empty their bench in the second half, allowing younger players on the roster to log playing time.
“It’s a great opportunity. It was really good for them to be able to get in there and play,” Chastain said.
