Could a fourth straight title be in the works for Jones?
“It’s definitely what we expect,” said 12th-year head coach Dolores Deasley. “We expect to win. But every year is a different year. We have to replace half the team each year, so a big part of it is sophomore leadership. We’ve had years where it’s not been good and has not been at the level we needed to be successful. I believe there is a direct correlation there.”
Deasley believes she has a solid group of returning sophomores. Defender/midfielder Mary Ann O’Kennedy (Tubbercurry, Ireland), forwards Rachel Barnaby (Derry, Ireland) and Esmeralda Figueroa (Northeast Jones), defenders Lucy Critchell (London, England), Caitlyn Dungee (Clinton), Emily Riley (Gautier) and Heather Sullivan (Pearl), midfielder Madison LaFontaine (Pass Christian), forward/midfielder Olivia Simpson (George County), midfielder/forward Anna Grace Gieger (West Jones), midfielder/defenders Allie James (West Jones) and Araceli Figueroa (Northeast Jones) and goalkeeper Alexis Wilson (Long Beach) provide a strong foundation for the 2019 Bobcats.
“The sophomores are a really good group,” Deasley said. “At Jones we have the leadership courses. We are cultivating team chemistry all through preseason and we are big believers in the Messiah Method. That’s kind of how we approach our daily routine of what we are doing. The sophomores have really jumped on board with that and stepped up. We have seen a lot of maturity with them. There is a big difference from their freshman year to their sophomore year and it’s fantastic to see.”
Deasley noted the efforts of a few of the returnees, including Simpson, James, Gieger and Sullivan.
“Olivia has really stepped up,” she said. “Allie and Anna Grace have also done well. I’m really proud of Heather. She was a kid last year who struggled through the preseason. She was so homesick, we couldn’t get her to eat and she wanted to quit. It took her a while, but she finally settled in.
“She is another kid who has really worked her backside off since the spring. She has grown and matured so much. She made that commitment, came in and passed her fitness test well above what she did last year. She played a full 90 minutes vs. West Alabama and did fantastic. This time last year, she was nowhere close to that.”
Jones will have another talented freshmen class in 2019.
Comprising that group will be midfielder’s Anna Crane (Pearl), Sierra McLeod (D’Iberville) and Odalys Garcia (Northeast Jones), defender/midfielders Alexus Hodges (George County) and Blair Viator (Sacred Heart), forwards Jada Smith (West Lauderdale), defender Anna Bookout (West Jones), midfielder/forwards Chelsea Morton (Vancleave), Natasha Keen (Jersey, England) and Emily Callender (Harrison Central) and goalkeeper Sarah Sumrall (West Jones).
“Several of the freshmen are already stepping up,” Deasley said. “They are being really good leaders. Sarah and Alexus got some good minutes the other night vs. West Alabama and Anna Crane did as well. She has really stepped up and is an all-around good kid.”
Crane, in fact, will be a vice-captain for the team. O’Kennedy, Esmeralda Figueroa and Sullivan will be captains.
Deasley said being a captain is a big responsibility on the Jones team.
“We’ve got a full outline on paper of what we expect of our captains,” she said. “We sit down and they read about it. We don’t vote on it right away. We come back a couple of days later and vote on team captains. It’s something we take really seriously.”
Deasley said leadership is not only important for the team captains, it’s important for everyone on the team.
“We have high expectations of them in the classroom,” she said. “We have high expectations of them on the field and when they go off campus they know they are representing Jones College and Jones soccer and they are held to a higher standard. So, all of that is kind of part and parcel for me and being successful at the end of the day. We are training them to be successful in their their life and in their communities.”
On the field, the Lady Bobcats opened the season with a 2-2 draw in a scrimmage vs. four-year West Alabama on Aug. 17. Deasley was pleased with the way Jones performed vs. the Tigers. Jones trailed 2-1 at halftime, but tied the match in the 63rdminute.
“We were itching to play,” Deasley said. “We had an extra week this year for preseason. The outcome was definitely a game of two halves. We were outplayed in the midfield in the first half and that was definitely the focus at halftime. That was what we wanted to rectify going into the second half and we did that. We had a good outcome in the second half and scored the only goal, so I was pleased overall.”
Jones opens the regular season at 5 p.m. on Aug. 22 at Hinds and will play its home opener at 7 p.m. on Aug. 23 vs. ASA Miami. Home games are slated to air on www.JCJC.TV.
Also on the agenda is a trip to South Carolina to play No. 20 Spartanburg Methodist College and No. 9 Daytona State (Florida) on Sept. 20-21. Jones will meet Gordon State (Georgia) on Oct. 12 in Birmingham, Alabama. Deasley said those games will be beneficial for the Bobcats.
“We are excited to go to South Carolina,” she said. “It’s somewhere different and we will be playing two very strong teams. Gordon State will be a good game for us as well playing them at a neutral site. ASA Miami is also a strong team. Just to be able to play the out-of-state teams is good for us.
“We have 18 games and you have to play your division games and we like to play as many of the Mississippi teams as possible. But it’s nice for the girls to travel and see what else is out there. It also puts them on a platform to be looked at by four-year colleges. And it’s tough competition for us.”
Jones will also take a trip to Ireland during spring break of 2020 and play a few games.
“That’s something when we recruit we tell the players we will be playing teams the other teams in Mississippi are not and we will be taking those big trips,” Deasley said. “We do a lot of fundraising on the side that allows us to do stuff like that.”
Deasley is pleased to welcome Tori Brook back to the staff. She was an assistant coach in 2017, but not in 2018.
“Without a doubt, it’s great to have Tori back,” she said. “She brings so much to our program. She was here two years ago and turned into a really good coach. We could not keep her last year, but we were able to get her back this year. She is brilliant and has such a way with the girls. They have huge respect for her. She knows the game and she’s a workhorse. I think we are a good combination. We have a fantastic working relationship. She’s a go-getter.”
Also, Grant Adam will be serving as goalkeeper coach for the Lady Bobcats in addition to his duties as a fulltime assistant for head coach Brendan Connolly’s men’s team.
“We are delighted that Grant can be full-time as the guys’ assistant,” Deasley said. “We get to keep him around as our goalkeeper assistant. Grant is brilliant and does a great job with the players. The four of us (Deasley, Connolly, Brook and Adam), I think, work really well together. We have fun together and it’s like a wee family up there.”
The MACJC Tournament will be played at the site of the North Division Men’s champion this fall on Oct. 26-27. The Region 23 Tournament will be Nov. 2 at LSU-Eunice.
