GREYHOUND MEDIA DAY
The season openers begin this week for two JCHS sports with others to follow soon. Ahead of that, the full breadth of Greyhound athletics was on display Monday night as the inaugural fall sports media day event was hosted at the high school.
The event, which was live streamed by coach Adam Gillhouse’s audio video technology and film program students, allowed coaches and select players from each team to share thoughts on what to expect this fall. “I just want us to do things first class. I talked to Coach Gillhouse about it, we had seen some bigger counties with multiple schools do it and we said, ‘why can’t we do it with just one?’ “ Jones County High School athletic director Chad Alligood said. “We’ll have one for our winter and spring sports to give exposure to our kids.”
The evening began with the sideline and competition cheer squads previewing the season as well as reflecting on the impact that cheerleading has made on them.
“It’s really been like a backbone the past six or seven years that I have been cheering,” said senior sideline cheerleader Adison Sifford. “It’s helped me get through a lot of situations and just be a better person.”
Next up was the competition cheer squad that won the region last year and earned a berth in the state championships.
“We’re looking forward to a great season, this is one of the best teams that we have ever had,” said competition cheer head coach Lelin Holt.
Jones County’s four volleyball seniors reflected on not just the season, but their journey as being the first fouryear players in program history.
“When we first came here and started this, it did not look like it looks now. We didn’t know rotations, we didn’t know positions, we didn’t know anything,” Nya Warren said.
The girls cross country team, which returns the majority of last year’s region championship team and finished in the top ten of the state, was lauded by head coach Geoff Moore for their dedication on and off the course.
“This is a young group, a very goal-oriented group, a straight-A student group,” Moore said. “I could keep bragging on them, it’s a special group of girls.”
As familiar as the Lady Hounds may be, the boys cross country segment served as a introduction to the spotlight on a team that has multiple runners stepping up into bigger roles following the graduation of an experienced group.
Gunner Kent, the more experienced runners of the group, spoke on how he has taken on leading a group of talented runners stepped into the spotlight.
“I just try to keep them motivated, keep all of us together as a team because if we’re not a team, we don’t function,” Kent said.
The Lady Greyhounds softball team took questions centered around meeting expectations and how former Lady Greyhound and current Georgia player Destin Howard impacted them when she was at JCHS. The Lady Hounds return their top two pitchers from last year, Ansley Pegg and Cate Downey in addition to leaders at the plate such as Tranasia Parker, Bailey Jackson and Kimber Kent. Jones County is the defending region champions and will be aiming for a third trip to the Elite 8 in Columbus in four seasons.
“Coming into this year, we still have high expectations,” Lady Greyhounds head coach Tripp Burt said. “Last year, we graduated five starters which are big shoes to fill. Luckily, we have some good talent returning with some great players.”
The football team rounded out the night as head coach Mike Chastain was joined by four seniors plus defensive coordinator Will Conner and assistant head coach and strength coach Kevin Patterson who also coaches receivers for the Greyhounds. Players on hand were quarterback Judd Anderson, center Austin Hanks, defensive tackle/ tight end Jamarion Parker and linebacker/ defensive end Chandler Harris.
“This is only four of our 32 seniors, this is one of the biggest senior classes I have ever been associated with,” Chastain said. “With that comes a lot of expectations of really good leadership. These guys have done a great job leading so far and hopefully it can carry on over.”
The Greyhounds athletic department has many moving pieces with multiple sports, and Alligood said that giving every fall sport exposure was key.
“That’s huge to me. I think all of our coaches here understand, I want us all to be successful,” Alligood said. “I don’ want to spotlight to be just one or two things, I want the spotlight to be on the entire Jones County athletic department, and I think that showed (Monday) in how this was done.”
