LOOKING AHEAD
The dawn of a new year represents not just the turning of a calendar but also new things on the horizon on many fronts. As the year 2024 arrives, that includes athletics at Jones County High School.
Here are some key storylines to follow going into 2024.
Wrestling looks to cash in
Despite a second-place finish in the region wrestling duals last year, a very unlucky draw sent the Greyhounds into sectionals against Jefferson, one of the state’s top teams. That format is gone this year. Instead of sectionals, the top two teams from each region go straight to state, making the Jan. 13 region duals at JCHS all the more key.
Can Diamond Hounds parlay postseason showing?
The Greyhounds probably raised some eyes around the state in last year’s first round of the state playoffs, pushing highly touted Greenbrier to the brink before being swept. That experience should serve the Greyhounds well with a core group returning with the key task being to replace a trio of senior pitchers from last year.
One more run at gold for Ragins?
With two state titles in the 100 meters and another in the 200, few track and field runners in the history of JCHS are as accomplished as Zion Ragins. All signs are again pointing toward May in Carrollton when he’ll look to close out his career with another state title or two after finishing second in both events last year.
New coach on the pitch for Greyhounds
The Greyhounds showed forward progress in boys soccer a season ago. They’ll aim to push their way into the postseason under new head coach Nathan Robertson, who assumed the role in the offseason as Will Cowart moved on to pursue a position at another school.
Hoop dreams of the postseason type
As 2024 begins, the Greyhounds are near the top of the region, a good spot to be in as they look to match last year’s final four appearance. The Lady Greyhounds have shown they can hang right with Union Grove and Warner Robins, two of the state’s top five teams. Both teams have the same goal – to continue improving and click on all cylinders in February as the region and state tournament arrives.
New region awaits
The days of having another Middle Georgia team as a region mate will be shortlived for the Greyhounds.
Jones County’s new region for the next two years, starting in August, is set as they are reclassed for AAAA. The region won’t have Dutchtown or Warner Robins in it but will take on Stockbridge, Woodland, Eagles Landing Christian, Hampton, McDonough, putting JCHS in a region with eight other Henry County teams.
In football, that’ll mean two of the top three teams in the region the past two seasons, Dutchtown and Warner Robins, will depart.
That does not mean a sense of ease as Stockbridge, this year’s AAAA runner-up, arrives. In basketball, for instance, Dutchtown and Warner Robins exiting will be replaced by ELCA, typically a top-10 team in boys and girls basketball.
The other element will be the schedule across all sports.
With more teams in the region, fewer chances to play non-region games will exist for Jones County.
A standard to meet
The Greyhounds and Lady Greyhounds rose to the occasion when it counted most last year, repeating as region champs during a season in which the Greyhounds youth stepped up and the Lady Greyhounds fought through injuries. That success raises expectations, and more eyes will be on both programs as they seek to match, if not surpass last year’s success.
Big holes to fill
More than 30 seniors graduate from this year’s edition of the Greyhounds on the gridiron.
That means that new faces will be needed to step up. Reigning first-team all-region quarterback Devin Edmonds will be among the returners to watch in addition to receiver Jaivon Solomon. Jones County has proven to be in the thick of the state’s best in recent seasons, losing to the eventual state champion in the postseason four of the past five seasons and this past season lost to a pair of state champs – Coffee and Perry.
