Road trips all too familiar for Jones County

GRAY -- Another postseason, another road trip for Jones County athletics.

The Greyhounds have experienced plenty of travel in several sports during the past year. They were a No. 3 seed in football last year, a No. 3 seed in boys basketball and a No. 3 seed in baseball.

In the GHSA, a No. 3 seed means travel. And that's where Jones County finds itself again this season in football as it prepares to travel for Friday's game at Glynn Academy.

Not that Jones County has struggled in that situation. In fact, the Greyhounds have thrived on the road.

Last year's football team went to the quarterfinals after defeating Carver-Columbus and Kell and came within a play against Mays of being one of the final four teams remaining in Class AAAAA. The boys basketball team reached the quarterfinals, defeating Harris County and Gainesville (in a rare home playoff game) before falling on the road to eventual champion Brunswick. The baseball team made it to the semifinals, going on the road to beat Harris County, Forsyth Central and East Paulding before getting stopped by Gainesville.

Last month, the Jones County softball team reached the Elite Eight after entering the playoffs as a No. 3 seed.

"There's something about Jones County, all athletics and the three seed, whether it's softball, baseball, basketball," Jones County head coach Justin Rogers said. "Heck, even (Torrez) Finney was a three-seed when he won it in wrestling. I guess there's something about three that makes it our number."

This time, the Jones County football team heads to Glynn Academy for a first-round meeting of teams that lost just once in their respective regions.

Jones County (9-1) finished in a three-way tie for first in Region 2-AAAAA but settled into third once the region's complex tie-breaking procedures were implemented. Glynn Academy (8-2) tied Coffee for the Region 3-AAAAA title but settled into second based on the Red Terrors' 22-0 loss to the Trojans.

Both teams are on the statewide radar. Jones County has been ranked all season and is currently sixth in Class AAAAA, while Glynn Academy is ranked 10th.

"Without a doubt, (Region 2-AAAAA) play prepared us," Rogers said. "When you play those Middle Georgia teams every night, that's a playoff atmosphere as far as the crowd, and obviously (with all four Middle Georgia teams from the region qualifying for the playoffs) it's playoff competition."

Jones County will face a Glynn Academy offense that runs out of the wildcat. It's fueled by DeeJay Dallas, a 5-foot-11, 182-pound athlete who has committed to Georgia. Dallas has thrown for 442 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for a team-high 787 yards and nine scores. He has also caught 14 passes for 147 yards and a score.

The teams met in a first-round playoff game three years ago in Brunswick, with Glynn Academy winning 26-14. This year's winner gets either Carver-Atlanta or Dalton -- both unranked -- in the second round.

"They are extremely athletic," Rogers said of Glynn Academy. "They are one of the most athletic teams, top to bottom, we've faced. Defensively they fly around, create a lot of negative plays. Offensively, they live in the wildcat the entire time with that DeeJay Dallas kid, and they just make things happen."

This story was originally published November 10, 2015 at 6:59 PM with the headline "Road trips all too familiar for Jones County ."