The Grayson County High School football team opens postseason play Friday night at Cougar Stadium in only the sixth home playoff game in the program’s history, and first since 2014.
With a 9-1 regular season record, the 2023 season marks only the fifth time since the program was conceived 50 years ago that the football Cougars have registered nine regular season victories. The eight straight victories the Cougars have cobbled together represents the longest winning streak in school history.
Furthermore, the team is playing Friday night to become only the second Cougars football team to win double-digit games. The last time GCHS won 10 games in a season was 1982 when the squad made it to the final four of the state playoffs.
To understate the obvious, the season has been special.
For Bryan Jones, in his eighth season overall at Grayson County and fourth season as head coach, the spectacular season is the culmination of patience, and a steadfast desire to lead the Cougars football program that marinated for nearly two decades.
“It’s probably been around 20 years that I’ve been coming to Grayson County. My in-laws were born and raised here,” the Florida native told K105. “My brother-in-law, my sisters-in-law, my wife (Alana, who is an assistant girls basketball coach), they all graduated from here. So, I’ve always had kind of a special connection to Grayson County going way back. And I’ll be honest, it’s really just crazy to think about, because 20 years ago when I was really looking hard at getting into coaching and really pursuing it as a career, our dream was to be in Grayson County and for me to be the head coach of Grayson County football.”
Of course, Ed Smart was the established head coach of the football program, putting Jones in a holding pattern as he served as the team’s offensive coordinator.
“I knew at the time that coach Smart was here and was having some really, really good teams. Go back about 15 years and that’s when Hunter Gary was the quarterback, and they beat Owensboro in the first round of the playoffs and some other real magical things for Grayson County football were taking place. So I thought, ‘Well, I’m just going to have to take my time and wait for (Smart) to move on and retire.’”
While giving a nod to Smart’s accomplishments, Jones’ aim is to make the success of this season’s team a foundation on which to build a tradition of maintained excellence.
“So, this (season) is just us carrying on some of those things that have previously happened and trying to build this culture into a more sustainable (model) where it happens more frequently,” Jones said. “We don’t want it to be once every nine to 10 years that we’re winning district championships. We want to be in contention all the time.
“I think these kids have laid a great foundation for the next batch that’s coming in behind them. There’s a good crop of young talent in this county and we just have to build upon that.”
The Cougars fan factor
Jones, in his postgame comments to K105 following last Friday’s huge, 15-14 road victory over Hancock County, voiced a plea for Cougar football fans to show up and show out for Friday’s affair against Iroquois High School.
One aspect of sport that is sometimes overlooked or discounted is the impact fans have on a high school team’s performance.
“I think all athletes run on adrenaline. And some kids just naturally get it, but I think the more electrifying the crowd is, I think it just raises that adrenaline up in an athlete,” Jones stated. “There’s a lot of guys that feed off the energy of the crowd … And as that goes up (the crowd energy), you see them (the players) get more revved up and amped up and all the sudden they’re faster, and they’re playing harder, and they’re hitting harder and all those things … I think the bigger and louder our crowd is, I think the harder you’ll see our kids play.”
That was evident last Friday night when an impressive contingent of Cougar faithful made the journey to Lewisport and provided a spark to the team in its taut road win. Showing their appreciation for the fans’ full-throated support, the Cougars, after the game, ran cross the field to the Grayson County fans and thanked them with high fives, and celebrated with helmet shaking at the orange-clad crowd.
“I turn around and I see us have a big group of students and parents and fans that are there cheering our guys on after the game was over. Nobody had left,” Jones exclaimed. “And we’ve got a section in their bleachers that’s just packed full with our people. And I told them, ‘Guys, I don’t want you to stay over there long, but I want you to get over there and show our appreciation for these people that made this trip and are still here cheering you on, even though the game is over.’”
It made for a moment of affirmation and overwhelming support for the Cougar gridiron warriors in a season worth remembering.
“I think this is something special for our kids, but I think it’s something special for our community too. I think our kids realize it and I think our community is realizing it,” Jones said. “They’re really playing hand-in-hand with one another on what is a great experience for everybody.”
The experience, though, is not over. The Cougars take the field Friday night in what will hopefully be the beginning of a long playoff run for a team that has tossed aside previous disappointments, while forging its own path paved with excellence.
Proclamation
In honor of the team’s achievements, Leitchfield Mayor Harold Miller, Judge-Executive Kevin Henderson, Grayson County Schools Superintendent Doug Robinson, Sheriff Norman Chaffins, GCHS Principal Lacy Cox, and members of the football team gathered at the high school gym Thursday morning as officials signed a proclamation declaring the week of October 30 through November 3 as Grayson County Cougar Football Week.
(Photo: Members of the Cougars football team gather with city and county officials Thursday morning at GCHS proclaiming this week “Grayson County Cougar Football Week”)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
