Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2020
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
PAGE IB
FOOTBALL
Former long-time Winder-Barrow coach Jones dies
By Scott Thompson
sthompson@barrownewsjournal.com
Phil Jones, the former
Winder-Barrow High
School head football coach
who guided the Bulldoggs
to one of their longest-sus
tained runs of success and
led the team on a historic
state semifinal run in 1993.
died Saturday, Dec. 26. He
was 74.
Jones passed away in hos
pice care after a prolonged
illness, surrounded by fami
ly, according to a Facebook
post from his daughter.
Connie.
“Earth lost a great man to
day, but the angels in heav
en are singing!” Connie
Jones wrote. “We will miss
him deeply but we are hap
py he's whole, healed and
at peace. Mom and I were
right with him when he took
his last breath — we are so
grateful for that gift! Dad,
we know you're watching
over us, along with all your
friends, fellow coaches and
your beloved players! We
love you more than words
could ever say, and you will
live forever in our minds
and hearts.”
Jones, a native of Thom-
aston. coached football for
47 seasons and was a head
coach at Jeff Davis, Fitz
gerald and Dooly Coun
ty prior to taking over the
Winder-Barrow program in
1984. In 13 seasons with
the Bulldoggs, Jones went
81-58-2 — including a 10-1
mark and undefeated reg
ular season in 1989 and a
11-3 finish in 1993, when
the Bulldoggs advanced to
the GHSA Class 3A semifi
nals before losing to Thom-
asville. It remains the deep
est playoff run in program
history.
Jones left Winder-Barrow
after the 1996 season and
joined the college ranks in
1998, coaching for three
years at Georgia under Jim
Donnan. He then had stints
at Southern Methodist and
Gardner-Webb before start
ing the program at Shorter
University in Rome. Jones
went 54-65 in 12 seasons
before his retirement fol
lowing the 2015 season.
His most successful cam
paign was in 2008 when the
Hawks finished with nine
wins and qualified for the
NAIA playoffs.
Jones was 159-107-4 in
25 seasons as a high school
head coach: his most suc
cessful year came in 1983
when he led Dooly County
to a 14-1 mark and a state
runner-up finish.
Jones was welcomed back
to Winder in 2017 as the
grand marshal of the high
school’s annual homecom
ing parade. Ironically that
season, the Bulldoggs had
their most successful season
in more than 20 years, fin
ishing 9-3 and winning their
first playoff game since that
1993 season under Jones.
“Our Bulldogg hearts are
heavy over the loss of our
former coach, Phil Jones,”
members of the WBHS
Touchdown Club wrote in
a Twitter post Saturday.
“Coach Jones and (wife,
Janie) made a difference
in the lives of countless
students at WBHS and
our community is better
Photo by Scott Thompson
Former Winder-Barrow head football coach Phil Jones, pictured with his wife
Janie, was the school’s homecoming parade grand marshal in October 2017. Jones,
who spent 13 seasons with the Bulldoggs (1984-1996) and coached for 47 seasons
between the high school and college ranks, died Saturday, Dec. 26. He was 74.
because of the love they was the utmost example and we are blessed to have
poured over everyone. He of what 'GG' is all about, called him‘our coach.’”
FOOTBALL
Submitted photo
From left, Chandler Cavoretto, Chad Norwood
and Logan Garmon represented Bethlehem Chris
tian Academy in the Gatlinburg All-American
Bowl earlier this month.
Trio of BCA
players perform
well in all-star game
A trio of Bethlehem Christian Academy football
players turned in solid performances earlier this
month in the Gatlinburg All-American Bowl in Gat
linburg, Tennessee, an annual all-star showcase for
private school and homeschool players.
Junior defensive lineman Logan Garmon had a pair
of sacks and three total tackles, and junior linebacker
Chandler Cavoretto had two tackles for a loss, as both
players earned honorable mention nods for Defensive
MVP. Senior Chad Norwood had an interception, two
tackles and a tackle for loss on defense and six carries
on the offensive side.
Garmon, Cavoretto and Norwood all helped Team
Stars secure a 17-10 win.
The three Knights “were selected due to excellent
performances during their regular season and they
did not disappoint,” Andrew Capps, the bowl direc
tor, said. “Chandler Cavoretto is a sideline-to-sideline
linebacker with exceptional cover skills and a knack
for being around the ball. His tackles for loss contin
uously put the opposing offense in difficult down and
distance situations all game. Chad Norwood saw time
on both sides of the ball at running back and line
backer. He is another sideline-to-sideline linebacker
that showed off his cover skills by hauling in a huge
interception for his team and added important carries
on the offensive side of the ball. Logan Garmon was
part of a Stars defensive line that was disruptive all
game. He had 2 sacks, and none were bigger than his
tone-setting sack coming out of halftime that put the
opposing team in an impossible third-and long-situ
ation.
“Congratulations to Chandler. Chad and Logan!
They proved why they deserve to be called All Amer
icans.”
A year of triumphs...and heartbreak
Photo by Scott Thompson
Winder-Barrow’s J.C. Green (24) celebrates a touchdown with teammates Logan Thayer (5) and Chandler Max
well during a 34-27 win over Apalachee in the annual “Battle of Barrow” on Sept. 4, which opened both teams’
season.
Recapping the top local sports
From the disruptions to many teams'
seasons caused by the coronavirus
pandemic, to numerous team and in
dividual achievements, it was another
eventful sports year in Barrow County.
Here are the top local sports stories
of 2020, in rough chronological order.
FOUR WRESTLERS
WIN AREA TITLES
Three Winder-Barrow wrestlers and
one from Apalachee captured first
place in their respective weight classes
Feb. 1 in the GHSA Area 8-AAAAAA
tournament.
Winder-Barrow seniors Rosseau O
Asu Abang (195 pounds) and Nate Al
len (182) repeated as area champions
in their respective weight classes and
had little trouble doing so. going 2-0
on the day at Lanier High School. Asu
Abang pinned Dacula’s Gianni Arau
jo and Habersham Central’s Tanner
Wade, while Allen pinned Habersham
Central’s Ashton Parks and Dacula's
Komlan Akoussan.
Mason Bell went 3-0 on the day to
win the title at 106 pounds for Wind
er-Barrow. After pinning Apalachee's
Owen Mabry in the quarterfinals, he
won a 7-5 decision over Dacula's Si-
maj Best and pinned Lanier’s Chris
Wheeler in the finals.
Meanwhile, Apalachee was led by
Isaiah Skinner, who won the area ti
tle at 126 pounds. Skinner defeated
Lanier’s Weston Ward 6-1 and then
beat Gainesville's Brian Le 8-2. Five
Bulldoggs and three Wildcats wound
up qualifying for the boys' state tour
nament, while Sam Hauff qualified for
the Apalachee girls. Hauff went 4-2
and finished fifth in her weight class
at the state tournament, becoming the
first female wrestler in program histo
ry to earn a state medal. Apalachee’s
Hunter Noblett also went 4-2 at state
to finish fifth at 160 pounds.
Winder-Barrow was led at state by
Chas Ferm. who finished sixth.
WBHS BOYS HOOPS MAKES
RETURN TO STATE
After a two-season hiatus, the Wind
er-Barrow boys’ basketball team re
turned to the state playoffs, finishing
17-12 in its first year under Travis Mc
Daniel.
The Bulldoggs clinched a playoff
berth with come-from-behind, 77-68
overtime win against Habersham Cen
tral on Feb. 6 in the first round of the
Region 8-AAAAAA tournament at
Gainesville High School.
Senior guard Tyreek Perkins scored
22 points after halftime to fuel the
comeback by the Bulldoggs, who
trailed by 15 points with 11 minutes
left in regulation.
The Bulldoggs lost to Gainesville
in the tournament semifinals, dropped
the third-place game to Lanier and
then fell at fourth-ranked South Cobb
in the first round of the state tourna
ment.
BCA BOYS
REACH ELITE EIGHT
A year after reaching the GISA
Class AAA quarterfinals, the Beth
lehem Christian Academy boys’ bas
ketball team again experienced some
stories of 2020
Photo by Scott Thompson
Apalachee beat Winder-Barrow
2- 1 at home on March 13, to move
ahead of the Bulldoggs in first place
in the Region 8-AAAAAA standings.
The match turned out to be the final
local spring sports contest of the
year before the coronavirus pan
demic led to the cancellation of the
remainder of. the season.
postseason success and reached the
Elite Eight before losing for a second
straight year to eventual state champi
on Heritage School 69-49 in the quar
terfinals at Tattnall Square Academy
in Macon on Feb. 22.
After senior guard Ray Peevy's
3- pointer put BCA (12-16) ahead 5-2
with 5:58 left in the first quarter, the
Hawks got hot and went on a 13-0 to
grab control.
The Knights never got any closer
than nine points the rest of the way,
and Heritage stretched its advantage to
as many as 29 points midway through
the final period.
See Sports, page 2B