One of the hardest parts of recent soccer matches for Lady Greyhounds head coach Mikayla Coley has come before the first touch of the ball to begin play.
With a 4-0 start through the end of last week, Jones County has gotten a wide range of contributions on all parts of the field. After multiple goals last Wednesday by Emory Sanford led to an 8-0 win against Crawford County, JCHS blanked Jasper County 2-0 on Thursday for its fourth win in a row.
From the scoring power of Sanford, offensive support from Daisy Blanton or back-line help from Cadence Tanner and Lexi Oliveros in front of goalie Wendy Ramirez-Perez, it has all added up to a strong start before confronting the start of region play this Friday at Hampton ahead of next Friday’s region home opener against Union Grove.
“Daisy is doing a great job at cross the ball and giving our offense a chance,” Coley said. “Lexi and Cadence are commanding our defense.”
JCHS finished fifth in the region last year, one spot out of qualifying for the state tournament.
“We have a lot of young kids playing, and they need to get that confidence back. We didn’t end the season how we wanted last year, so it’s important to be around each other and build confidence,” Coley said. “We try to talk more, especially with younger kids, about passing the ball and taking those opportunities. The game is slow right now, so it’s an opportunity to learn before things get to a faster pace.”
