Much like the curse that hovered over the Chicago Cubs from 1945 to 2016, their made to be broken. The ‘Curse of the Billy Goat’ was severed last year when Cubs claimed their first World Series title in 108 years. The curse, though, which began in 1945, was more about declining success than winning a World Series title.
Well, that’s baseball, and we in Jones County are in the midst of the 2017 MHSAA football season.
There are no curses equivalent to that which hung over the Chicago Cubs for so long, but if you ask any South Jones fan about its playoff drought on the gridiron, it would seem like a curse.
The drought is currently in its seventh year – the longest of any football team in Jones County, including JCJC. The last time South Jones secured a playoff berth was in 2009, the year its program finished 2-9 and somehow, with only two wins, made the playoffs.
Five years of below .500 finishes followed, including the first year of what now continues as the Cory Reynolds era.
Since then, the Braves – in years two, three and four of the Reynolds era – have piled together a 21-11 record. One thing though, its first playoff berth since 2009, remains elusive.
Thanks to last Friday night’s 42-35 win over Natchez, one of four teams on the cusp of a three and four seed in Region 3-5A, the Braves are yet again within striking distance of breaking the seven-year drought.
“This Friday night becomes extremely important because we beat Natchez,” said Reynolds. “We beat them [Natchez], so that gave us two wins [in the region], and a win this week would give us three.
“We need four to get in. We have West Jones, Brookhaven and Wingfield left on the schedule [following Friday night].”
Region 3-5A new-comer North Pike, another team on the cusp of a three and four seed, visits the Reservation Friday night.
West Jones defeated North Pike last Friday night 27-15 to make their claim on a three and four seed spot after beating Natchez the week before, 46-15.
A win against North Pike would likely eliminate the Jaguars from contention and elevate South Jones’ status in the region to an almost assured playoff berth.
“This game is huge,” Reynolds said. “I talked our guys before we watched film [on Monday] how important this game Friday night is and how good our preparations must be.”
South Jones has been here before, on the edge of ending the drought only to see it linger on. In the past two seasons, the Braves were a win away from a playoff berth when a 46-41 loss to Wingfield in 2015 and an 18-14 loss to Provine in 2016 derailed those efforts.
The past, though, is just that. The future is Friday night, and another chance to ceased the unwanted statistic that has hung over the program since 2009.
There’s been no curse that can explain away the past seven years. No stories that involve the failed admittance of fan’s pet goat that led to curses herald at the program, just a string of bad luck.
“North Pike is very similar to Natchez,” said Reynolds. “They’re athletic, and big up front. It goes back to the fact that we must take care of the football and eliminate our mistakes. If we play as hard as we did against Natchez and quit turning the ball over as well as eliminate pre-snap penalties, we have a chance.”
Kickoff on the Reservation Friday night is scheduled for 7 p.m.
