THE COMING YEAR
With the turning of the calendar, 2023 arrives. Here are a few key storylines to watch going into the new year around the JCHS sports scene
New leader on the diamond
There’ll be a new coach leading the Hounds on the baseball field this year with Mike Paulk having been elevated to the head coach position during the offseason. While some key offensive pieces did graduate last year, Jones County does have a strong core of experienced pitchers to lean on.
Football region among the strongest
The Greyhounds region is fast becoming one of the tougher ones in the AAAAA classification. This past year, region champion Dutchtown advanced to the semifinals with Warner Robins advancing to the state championship game. There is no such thing as an easy run to a region title in the current region, and with the current region leaders plus the forward progress shown this year by Ola, Jones County is in a football region with few easy games.
Success breeds expectation
Jones County’s softball program is coming off a four-year run of two region titles, three Elite Eight appearances and a state title. Both tennis programs and the girls soccer team have established themselves to be perennial state tournament teams. With that comes an expectation to meet and exceed that success, and that’s exactly where these teams find themsevles as they prepare to go into their respective seasons in 2023.
Boys soccer, Gym Hounds look to build off momentum
The Gym Hounds took a step forward as a program last year, helped by record numbers of participation. The boys soccer team was more of a factor in the region last year under first-year head coach Will Cowart. The Volley Hounds won a region match for the first time in school history.
All of these teams took a step forward, so now the goal is to match and surpass that.
He’s already a top target of most top college football programs, notably getting a visit last January when Georgia head coach Kirby Smart helicoptered into Gray for a visit.
But track and field season is next for Zion Ragins, who’ll be going for a third 100-meter run state title in a row and second 200-meter run state title in three seasons.
One of the best cross country programs outside Atlanta?
Jones County sent shockwaves through the cross country world as far as Georgia is concerned last year with a sweep of the region titles and both teams finishing top 10 in the state. Sure, the Greyhounds graduated a substantial group, but a dominant group of JV boys runners moving up plus a majority of the Lady Hounds returning makes both a contender to repeat as region champs and be one of the top teams outside of the Atlanta area.
