Nice Article by Josh Moore of the HLH.

 

High school notebook: David Jones brings positive momentum to Phelps football

Former Belfry, UK standout named Hornets coach in January

 

BY JOSH MOORE

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The abolishment of football at Phelps High School was on the table. The Hornets, in the midst of a 24-game losing streak dating to October 2013, dropped out of district play last season. They’ve finished at .500 or better only once — 5-5 in 2004 — in 15 seasons, ironically not reaching the playoffs that year despite frequently doing so with losing records under Kentucky’s oft-kooky playoff structure.

 

A fresh face has been brought in to liven up the football fandom. David Jones, a two-time state champion at Belfry who went on to play at the University of Kentucky, was introduced as the school’s new head coach on Jan. 15.

 

“A lot of people I know they’re like ‘Why Phelps?,’” Jones said. “I feel like them kids, they need something and they deserve every bit of it. I’ve got a young coaching staff and we’re just ready to take over.”

 

Phelps is 37-112 this century, but the athletic future has never looked brighter for the school of about 300 students in Pike County. The finishing touches are being put on a $6.3 million complex which includes brand-new football, baseball and softball fields — things the Hornets haven’t been able to call their own for a while.

 

“It has been five years since they had a football field,” Jones said. “ ... They’ve been going over to Belfry Middle School playing their home games, and that’s not home. If you have any pride about yourself, you want to represent your community where it’s at. It’s been a tough situation up there.”

 

Jones knows a thing or two about representing one’s community. He was an all-state player as a senior after guiding Belfry to its first two state championships in 2003 and 2004. He scored the game-ending touchdown on fourth-and-one in the Pirates’ first title win over Elizabethtown.

 

He played on two bowl champion teams under Rich Brooks at UK before briefly signing with the Baltimore Ravens and playing professional indoor football, including a stint with the now-defunct Eastern Kentucky Drillers in Pikeville. Jones hopes his players can see what he was able to accomplish having come from a small town and use that to propel themselves forward in life.

 

“I had other offers on the table but I chose them,” said Jones, who lives about 15 miles away in Matewan, W.Va. “That shows them that I believe in them ... (I) just want to let them know that they’re not forgotten and that help is on the way.”

 

The first few weeks on the job have been “unbelievable,” Jones said. He’s got kids who didn’t even play football last season putting time in the weight room so they can see the field next year. Students who left Phelps because of its lack of playing facilities are returning to the school, something that’s “great for the whole community,” one that’s seen its share of downturn given the economics surrounding the coal industry.

 

Jones prepared for this moment by serving as an assistant under his former coach, Philip Haywood, at Belfry for the past five seasons. After years of picking his brain, he was finally ready to take the leap into head coaching.

 

He’ll never be ready to take on his mentor, though.

 

“Honestly, I wouldn’t even pick in those apples,” Jones said with a laugh. “ ... I’m not ever gonna coach against Philip Haywood. I don’t know how to explain that. I just will never, ever coach against him, ever. At all. He’s a genius when it comes to X’s and O’s and he taught me a lot, but I’m sure he didn’t teach me everything.”

 

 

 

 

 

Read more here: High school notebook: David Jones brings positive momentum to Phelps football | Lexington Herald-Leader

David is a good man and I admire him for taking this task on. That program needs a shot in the arm, some excitement. A young coach like David with his pedigree has to bring a change in attitude for them. I hope it translates into eventual wins on the field.

 

The article touches on how tough it is at Phelps and if there is one team in the state of Kentucky that I'd like to see be successful moving forward, it is the Hornets.

 

Good luck Coach Jones!!!

Had the privilege to meet Coach Jones yesterday at WKU Jr. Day and he seemed like a good man. All the best and much respect for taking on the challenge, giving back and paying it forward for the young men.