Coach says 5-0 East Jackson is ‘the right time and right place to be’
Today’s Four Questions interviewee is East Jackson coach Cameron Pettus, whose team is 5-0 entering the Region 8-2A schedule. East Jackson entered the AJC/GHSF Daily rankings for the first time ever this week after a 52-38 victory over East Hall. Quarterback Drew Richardson rushed for 213 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 269 yards and four touchdowns. This is Pettus’ seventh season. His teams are 27-39. East Jackson was 9-60 over the previous seven seasons.
1. Your quarterback played like two players Friday night with 200-plus yards rushing and passing. Can you describe what he did Friday night that made him so difficult to defend?
“Drew has a great supporting cast of skill players and offensive line that allowed us to be successful. He is very talented, but more so he has exceptional work ethic and character, which allows him to thrive. He has committed to go and play football at Army for coach Jeff Monken, which speaks volumes to the kind of person he is.”
2. You’re 5-0, though not for the first time, also in 2023. Is it your best team you’ve had? If so, what makes it different?
“This team is special. We have a large senior class of young men that have bought in and worked hard every day to get better. The key to this group is how we stack days. Every day is a great workday for them, and they use it to improve. They are tough and resilient. We have had to battle through some tough games, which shows our character, which we are all very proud of.”
Note: East Jackson has avenged 2024 losses to Commerce and White County and won two games by seven points or less, one, against Winder-Barrow, after trailing 35-21 entering the fourth quarter.
3. Jackson County football is at a high-water mark in many ways. The two county schools are 9-1. Jefferson is Jefferson. Commerce is enduring a rough patch but positioned to bounce back. When you arrived, both public schools were struggling. Why is it healthier now?
“I think it’s a combination of a lot of great people getting involved and working hard to make this the best place it can be for our kids and community. It starts at the top with our administration, our superintendent Dr. Philip Brown, East Jackson principal Dr. (Matt) Stratemeyer and Jackson County principal Melissa Gillespie have great support for both myself and Korey (Mobbs, Jackson County’s coach). Both of our football staffs are truly amazing. All the work and love they pour into our players, they are fantastic leaders of men. Our parents and community members have our backs and step in to help out in so many different areas. It’s the right time and right place to be and just very humble and fortunate to do what we love to do here in Jackson County.”
4. Hebron Christian is on the horizon, the first of many tough region games. How do you mentally prepare your team for what lies ahead? And as an aside, how do you feel about having two private schools in your region and that impact on your seed?
“We are excited for the challenge. We know the gauntlet is ahead. We talked about it today in our staff meeting. Every game in our region is going to be a dogfight. We have to stay tough, be resilient, keep that character and then we just have to make plays. Playing the private state champion Hebron and private state runner-up Prince Avenue is only going to make us better moving forward. On the aside, I really don’t care for the two toughest privates being in our region but no need to complain about it. Just use it to get better.”
Note: Hebron Christian and Prince Avenue Christian are 1-2 in the Class 3A-Private rankings. They compete in Class 2A only for the regular season and affect the seedings of their region rivals in the 2A playoffs.
About the Author
Todd Holcomb has been a contributor to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1985. He is currently co-founder and editor of Georgia High School Football Daily.
