Jones County looks for first-ever win at McConnell-Talbert Stadium
The past two seasons have set quite a few benchmarks for the Jones County football program as it has moved into the role of contender in GHSA Region 2-AAAAA.
On Thursday, the Greyhounds look to continue that trend against Warner Robins as they look for the first win at McConnell-Talbert Stadium in the program's history.
"All of the Warner Robins area teams are good, especially in that stadium, in 'The Mac'," Jones County's Logan Jordan said. "We've never won in that stadium, so that adds something to it. Warner Robins is a very good team, and we know we're going to have to come to play. You have to respect every single opponent."
The opponent Jordan mentioned, Warner Robins, is coming off of a 45-6 thrashing of Grovetown just six days ago that clinched a playoff berth, and with a couple of losses already in region play, the Demons are looking to create a three-way tie for second place.
Warner Robins clearly has the playmakers to do just that.
Running back Javian Bradford-Jackson racked up 186 yards on just 17 carries in the Demons' win last week, including a 64-yard run to set up a Demons touchdown. And quarterback Ivan Corbin has proven he can be a just as much of a threat running the ball as he can throwing it. Corbin rushed for two scores in last week's victory on runs of 5 and 34 yards, respectively.
And while Warner Robins head coach Bryan Way knows what is at stake, he feels his offense must control the tempo of the contest in order to create the tie for second.
"Jones County has outstanding players on both sides of the football," Way said. "They have a handful of guys that can score from anywhere on the field. I think for us to have a chance, we are going to need to control the ball on offense and keep their offense over there on the sideline.
"We can't go three-and-out and have quick series, and on the other side of the ball we certainly can't give up the big play. But again, they have playmakers that we have to be ready for."
Those playmakers for Jones County come in the form of quarterback Bradley Hunnicutt, running back Chandler Ramage and wide receiver Shareez Hamm. Hunnicutt has been efficient through the air, completing 118-of-183 passes for 1,852 yards and 18 touchdowns, while Ramage has racked up 751 yards on 118 carries, including seven touchdowns. And Hamm adds a big-play threat at wide receiver, amassing 653 yards on just 22 receptions along with 10 touchdowns.
"It is a big game because it is our next game, and you try to win them all," Jones County head coach Justin Rogers said. "I really don't think you put any more emphasis on it that. If you do, you may set yourself up for failure. We tell our guys to just go in and play your game. Play it like you did the first night. I think that is the mindset that we need to have."
This story was originally published November 4, 2015 at 11:10 PM with the headline "Jones County looks for first-ever win at McConnell-Talbert Stadium ."