Jackson County coach says North Oconee game could spark annual rivalry
Today’s Four Questions interviewee is Jackson County coach Korey Mobbs, who has led the program to a new level of success the past two years. Mobbs took over in 2023, led the Panthers to their first winning season in 13 years in 2024 and won the first region title and playoff game in program history last year. Jackson County faces a potential new rival this week when fellow Athens-area powerhouse North Oconee visits. Both teams are undefeated entering Friday.
1. How cool is it to have Jackson County playing a game against North Oconee that many people would view as a toss-up?
“You want to get the program to a point where you’re scheduling people like North Oconee, and then you’ve got a chance. That’s all you can ask for, and, obviously, we’ve got a ton of respect for what they’ve done. If you look at this area, I’ve said this a couple times this week to different people. I think they’re kind of the standard when it comes to consistency. (North Oconee coach Tyler Aurandt has) done a really good job. I know they had some success early, but when Tyler took over, I think they were, I don’t know, 1-9 or whatever, and to have watched from afar him build that thing, it’s been impressive. I think it’s an example. Just like our place; you’ve got to have a lot of things pushing in the right direction in order to do that. Most importantly, people have got to be patient. Kind of a nifty caveat to that is our superintendent was the principal at North Oconee who hired Tyler. So I’m thankful for that because I think he got to see that in the trenches. Now as the big boss here in Jackson County, that’s paid dividends for us because of how they built that thing there. So again, great opportunity for us. We try not to make it bigger than it is, but I think the natural vibe around the game is it kind of feeds itself. We’ve got a great opportunity, and they do, too, and it should be a great Friday night atmosphere.”
Note: North Oconee is 4-0 against Jackson County all-time, winning four straight games from 2010 to 2013.
2. Do you expect Friday night to feel like the start of a local rivalry?
“So they’re one classification below us, but obviously we’re going to play these two years, and then there’s a chance (Jackson County drops down in classification), depending on what enrollment looks like. So Hoschton High School opens next fall, and that will technically split us. It’ll probably take a few years to truly get to that type of number, but it could be a place where we fall and end up with (North Oconee’s classification) — if we don’t fall two classifications. It could be a region opponent in the future. I think it’s a game that we would love to play regardless, because you look at the communities. You look at how each team travels and what they’ve built as a program. It’s something that we want to be a part of, and it should be good.”
Note: Hoschton High School will open in 2027 and is expected to pull some students currently zoned for Jackson County High School.
3. You’ve mentioned some similarities between building Jackson County and North Oconee’s path to what it is now. Do you see Jackson County in a similar pace to the early stages of North Oconee’s dominance?
“I mean, I hope I could say yes to that. We would love for that to be our path because we know what that has become. I think both places are areas that have seen steady growth. For us, I think our growth has happened a little bit faster because we’re right here on Interstate 85, so naturally that’s occurred. You’ve got to have some of those things going your way. Obviously, it matters, the players that you have, also the staff that you put together, all those things, kind of building together along with the growth.”
4. A lot of people are paying attention to Jackson County football for the first time. What is the feeling inside the program about the recent success?
“It’s been really refreshing. People now expect to win, and they enjoy that aspect of the football program. So, it’s a little bit of a … challenge is not the right word, but it’s definitely a reminder each week for us as a staff, and then also the players, that there has been a standard that’s been established over the last four years. Two years ago, we hosted the first ever playoff game, and we got Coffee, who was the defending state champions, in round one. And we battled. I think that allowed us a picture of what it has to look like and where we needed to be. Then you fast forward to last year, and we win a region championship for the first time. Again, we host a playoff game and win our first ever playoff game in school history, which is crazy to think about. And then we won two. We upset Milton in the second round, and what a tough second round matchup that was. And then you look at Rome in the quarterfinals, it’s 17-17 going to the fourth quarter. And if we execute a little bit better, we’ve got a great shot to win that game. So I think getting a taste of that and then understanding what it takes just makes sure your group work harder. It’s just been fun to see kind of the community galvanize around that, especially in the building. The students get behind that, and it’s been a fun time to be here in Jackson County, for sure.”