COMMERCE — Typically when the phone constantly rings, you want to find the quickest way to dispose of it.
Not so for new East Jackson head coach Christian Hunnicutt. In fact, lately, it has been music to his ears.
“Thanks. We appreciate it. The kids are working hard,” Hunnicutt said to one well-wisher on his office phone Monday while conducting an interview with his cell phone in the other.
“It’s been like that all day and most of the weekend,” he said when asked -- it was only 9:30 a.m. and he had three other people walk in during the 23-minute session to offer their congratulations.
“People are just really happy and excited for the kids. It has been a fun two weeks. As fun as any I’ve had.”
So why all the fuss? The Eagles won their second consecutive contest on Friday, knocking off Oglethorpe County 28-14. It wasn’t a region game, and it didn’t have any playoff connotations.
But, the win did mark the first time since 2011 East Jackson won back-to-back games, and the victory pushed the Eagles to 2-1 on the season, matching their win total for the past two seasons combined after just three games. It is also the first time the Eagles have been over .500 since winning their opener in 2013.
Hunnicutt said the wins are nice, but it has been the reaction of the community and the looks on the players' faces that have given he and his staff true enjoyment.
“The coaches have won a lot. We’ve had success over the years. What has been great is to see the kids having success,” he said. “This senior group has been through a lot and to see them have some success is what makes coaching fun. They are just trying to work the plan.”
And what is the plan?
“Just to try and get better every day. That’s all anyone can expect. Work hard and try to get better,” Hunnicutt said.
Taking nothing away from their victories -- they beat Lakeview Academy and Oglethorpe County, which are a combined 0-5 so far -- Hunnicutt said they still have “a ton of work to do.” But forward progress is the goal, and it is clearly underway. Hunnicutt has also has been pleasantly surprised by how quickly he has gotten his charges showing that progress.
“There are always growing pains when there are coaching changes. But what we saw was a group of kids who wanted to have success and they have been willing to do what we ask and work hard,” he said. “The attitude has been great since the day we got here. The seniors have been leading the way and the team as a whole has bought into what we are trying to teach them. They just needed to see some success on the field.”
Hunnicutt attributed a lot of the turnaround to a core of seniors, “that have led by example."
Quarterback Josh Adair and offensive linemen Conner Beauchamp and Jeremy Wilder on offense and Cody Parr and Nathan Elrod on defense have stepped forward. Juniors Kentay Rakestraw and Brandon Lumpkin and sophomore Trey Smith also have been some early standouts.
“Those guys in particular have really stepped up and been great leaders so far,” Hunnicutt said. “The seniors have been the ones to drive things so far.”
Hunnicutt, strength-and-conditioning coach and defensive coordinator Grady Sigler, and offensive coordinator Scott Wilkins, all have been there, seen it, and done it when it comes to championship football.
Hunnicutt was part of seven state titles as an assistant at Buford. Sigler helped Elbert County win its only state title under then-head coach T. McFerrin and has been involved in five state title games overall. Wilkins guided Cedar Shoals to the 1995 Class AAA title game and has his name on the Jaguars stadium in Athens.
Which is why Hunnicutt is more than excited about taking his Eagles all the way to the Georgia coast to take on Glynn Academy on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
The Class AAAAAA tenth-ranked Red Terrors (3-1) are no stranger to championship football having played for the Class AAAAA title last season, losing out to Allatoona.
“We may not be quite ready for this but we want our guys to see where they need to be,” Hunnicutt said. “To get better you have to play teams that are good. We knew what we were getting into when we scheduled it. You have to see and feel what a championship team looks like so that you know where you need to be as a player and a program. This will be a huge challenge for our guys for sure. It’s a tough environment and they are a great team with outstanding players.
“But, we’re going to go down there and give it everything we have. We’ll have to play a clean game, no doubt. Last week was the first time we didn’t turn the ball over, and we have had way too many penalties. But we’re working on improving in that area as well.”
Regardless of the outcome -- and they would be huge underdogs in anyone's reckoning -- Hunnicutt said it is just the next step in the process.
“Our goal is to build a winning program. We have some great coaches who have done that so we’re not going to get too excited or too down no matter what happens,” he said. “Obviously we would love to get a win. But if our guys play well and understand by playing a team like this what they need to do to get there and work hard to do that, then we will have accomplished our goal.”
