Jones County carries new role into this season

GRAY -- Jones County has plenty of experience from last season taking on opponents with elite athletes on the other side of the ball while searching for an upset. The upsets came as the Greyhounds beat then-No. 1 Northside and knocked off Warner Robins to reach the playoffs.

Jones County also came within four seconds of advancing to the GHSA Class AAAAA semifinals.

Friday, however, will be a little different as the Greyhounds, ranked No. 6 in Class AAAAA, enter the contest against Morgan County as the favorites. And the Greyhounds are ready to relish in the role of being the favorites -- at least on paper.

“We want to build on what we did last season, not just look back on it,” Jones County defensive tackle Torrez Finney said. “We’re trying to build a consistent program, like a Northside, like a Houston County, where they’re good every year, that’s what we want. We want to be consistent every year, and it starts now. We can be ranked, sure, but it is about what you do on the field. That is where you prove it.”

Morgan County features consensus four-star defensive tackle M.J. Webb, who holds offers from the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Ohio State and Georgia, as well as several others. And at wide receiver, 6-foot-5 Jailyn Ingram, a consensus three-star, holds offers from Florida State and Georgia Tech, as well as three other Power 5 programs.

The Bulldogs limped to a 4-6 finish last season and will go back to the wing-T formation after experimenting with the spread formation. And there is a ton of experience on the Bulldogs’ roster, as it carries 20 seniors into the season.

“We’re at home, and any time you play at home, you feel pretty good about it,” Jones County head coach Justin Rogers said. “With (Morgan County) they have probably one of the better defensive lines we’ll play all year. We just have to use our speed out in space a little bit. It is certainly going to be a challenge against the athletes that (Morgan County) has.”

A 10-3 record in his first season at the helm clearly wasn’t a bad start, but Rogers is excited to build on that with a team loaded with experience.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned is that the process works. It works,” Rogers said. “We have some guys coming back that are experienced and know how we do things and know what to do. I love our defense and love our defensive staff, and I think the defense can surprise a lot of people.”

As for Finney, he is just ready to finally make contact with another team in the regular season.

“We’re about tired of whooping up on our offense (in practice),” Finney joked. “We can’t wait for competition. Our expectations are high, we just have to go live up to them.”

This story was originally published August 27, 2015 at 6:57 PM with the headline "Jones County carries new role into this season ."