FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Last Friday’s 42-0 win over Banks County was more than just a normal victory for Cherokee Bluff.
It turned out to be a milestone for Bears’ coach, Tommy Jones. Now in his 19th season overall, the win gave Jones his 100th career win.
Ever the humble person, he said it was not a major focus for him despite what it represents.
“I honestly had no idea exactly how many I needed until my wife asked me on Wednesday,” he said. “It wasn’t something that I put much thought into. The last thing I would ever want to do would be to take the focus away from our players for any reason at all. It’s really hard to win a high school football game in the state of Georgia.”
Jones began his head coaching career at Lumpkin County in 2006. He coached the Indians for seven seasons, snagging 26 wins, which is still second on the all-time list at Lumpkin. He moved to Dacula in 2013, where he made his first playoffs in his first season with the Falcons (2013) and advanced to the quarterfinals that year. He got his first 10-win season in 2014 and would finish with 37 wins in five seasons, good for third all-time on the Falcons win list.
But after two more playoff appearances in 2016 and 2017, he moved down the road to start the Bears program. It has been a solid fit for both Jones and the Bears. He already has 36 wins in his seventh season.
Again, there was no real pomp and circumstance in the locker room afterward.
“We celebrated the same way that we do with every win. And that’s exactly the way it’s supposed to be,” he said. “But in saying that, the majority of our coaches and players made an effort to give me a hug and offer a personal word of “congratulations” after the game, which meant more than anything else in the world. I’m pretty sure that my wife has been there for every one of those wins, so it was awesome for us to be able to share that moment together as well.”
The next milestone would obviously be 150 wins and maybe 200 if he intends to keep coaching for another decade or more. He had no definitive answer on that one.
“I have no idea how long I’ll keep coaching,” he said. “I know I’m having a blast right now. I still have some gas in the tank and don’t have any other plans. Just trying to enjoy every day and help this team be the best we can be.”
The Bears are off this week before traveling to Oconee County on Sept. 27 to try to give Jones his 101st victory.
