Jones hits the ground running as LHS prepares for fall
BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LAFAYETTE — On a small field next to LaFayette High School, sharp shrieks from whistles pierced the warm, humid air.
Around a handful of coaches, players shuffled from one spot to the next, learning where to stand, how to warm up and exactly what to do during each and every play.
While a number of the Bulldogs’ top expected contributors were away in Cullman participating in the Class 2A state track and field meet, the atmosphere was undeniable: football was officially back in LaFayette.
A month and a half into his return, LHS head coach Douglas Jones Jr. is finding that leading his alma mater feels less like a homecoming and more like the start of something entirely new.
Jones, hired on Jan. 28 as the Bulldogs’ 34th head football coach, has spent the spring practices laying the groundwork for what he calls a culture shift — one that’s built in the weight room, on the practice field and inside the classroom.
“It’s been exciting, very exciting,” Jones said. “The guys welcomed me with open arms. They’re ready to work. We’re building a new culture here, but they are buying in. That’s the biggest thing.”
While most other teams traditionally engage in padded practices, Jones has taken a radically different approach.
With many of his top players wrapping up their track and field seasons, he and his coaching staff have used this period as a teaching laboratory, drilling the fundamentals of how he wants practice to look.
From the outside looking in, the attention to detail, whether it is dynamic warmups, position group work or team-wide walkthroughs, was evident.
If a player wore the wrong shirt, a teammate would let them borrow one of theirs so the team looked like a cohesive unit.
If a drill or exercise was not executed properly, the entire group would restart until they all correctly performed it.
While the little building blocks eventually amount to a championship-contending program, Jones acknowledged the early going was bumpy at times.
“The transition was slow at first, but now they’re understanding it, and now they are leading some of the drills,” Jones said. “Especially in the weight room with the dynamic warmups, that’s the biggest thing we do before we lift. They understand it, and now they’re the leaders, getting the groups together to make sure we are on one accord.”
He attributed the early lag to the natural growing pains of any new system.
“I think it was slow because I’m new and what I’m trying to do is new,” he said. “We still have a ways to go, but we’re just chopping wood day by day.”
Off the field, Jones came in “guns blazing” on academics, building in study sessions and pushing players to stay on track in the classroom.
He said the response from his roster has been encouraging.
“A lot of guys have shown accountability,” Jones said. “They understand that, ‘Yeah, I may have messed up, but now it’s time for me to right my wrongs.’ They have grown to understand I’m here to love them, and no matter what, they understand that.”
Jones has also begun the relationship-building work any new coach faces, meeting individually with seniors to map out their post-high-school goals and dreams and create an “exit plan” for all upperclassmen.
“I met with my seniors just to see their aspirations, what they’re trying to do,” he said. “I know they’re going to be an integral part of the success we’re going to have on and off the field this year.”
While a sizable number of his most accomplished athletes have been focused on the spring track season — which has limited his on-field time with them — Jones has done his bonding whenever and wherever he can during school hours.
“I’m still developing a relationship with them throughout the halls,” he said. “Just going through the halls and seeing them and talking to them.”
Looking ahead to summer, Jones said the priority is simple: get his Bulldogs comfortable competing.
With the regular season now roughly three-and-a-half months away, Jones said he has made preparations to test his team throughout the summer.
Specifically, he plans to travel for out-of-town competitions in early June and play whoever he can moving forward.
“Competing, [my players] learning how to compete,” Jones said when asked what he was most excited about. “They want to compete this summer. That’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to reach out to different local schools. No matter the classification, no matter who we’re facing off, I just want to compete. As long as we’re competing, I’m good. We’ll worry about the numbers on the scoreboard later.”
