How this Columbus football team is making history on way to state championship game
During the team prayer before Wednesday’s practice at St. Anne-Pacelli Catholic School, head football coach Dwight Jones said, “God, it’s amazing — it’s amazing — to be where we are.”
Amen.
These Vikings are one victory away from winning the first football state championship in the program’s 63-season history. And the coach who has led them to this marvelous moment is on the verge of his first state title in 32 years at eight schools in two states.
So when this 11-1 team and its fans from the Columbus private school gather Friday (8 p.m. kickoff) at Mercer University for the Georgia Independent Athletic Association 2022 Class AAAA final game against 9-3 Stratford Academy of Macon, they can revel in an already historic season, but they yearn to finish it with the ultimate achievement.
They seek the fourth state championship for St. Anne-Pacelli this season, along with girls cross country, flag football and esports.
This is the farthest the Vikings have gone in the state football playoffs. They set their previous mark 52 years ago, when they lost in the semifinals.
And this is the furthest Jones has coached a football team in the state playoffs. He set his previous mark 21 years ago, when Auburn High School lost in the semifinals of the Alabama state playoffs.
The Vikings have a chance to set the program’s record for victories in a season. The 2003 and 2004 teams also went 11-1 but lost in the second round of the state playoffs.
And this is the most wins Jones has notched in a season. His previous high was 10 with Hardaway in 1998, when the Hawks lost in the second round of the state playoffs.
Love and care
The key to this team’s success, Jones told the Ledger-Enquirer, has been the coaching staff’s relationship with the players.
“You have to let kids know you love and care about them and they’re important,” he said.
Jones writes a letter to the players on Wednesdays, focusing on “God, academics and football,” he said. Then he calls each player on Thursday nights to check whether they are making smart choices.
Such communication results in a more cohesive team on the field, Jones said, and more constructive citizens in the community. He chokes up when asked about the positive impact.
“I love these kids,” he said as he fought back tears.
St. Anne-Pacelli senior quarterback Cam Ellis described Jones as a “true coach. … I’ve never been a day on this campus when he’s failed to talk to me or checked on me. I mean, he really makes sure that you know you’re loved and welcomed here. … He’s a great guy, and he’s an even better coach. When you add all that together, it makes for a great experience.”
Ellis appreciates Jones being unafraid to show his softer side.
“He has no problem with his manhood at all,” Ellis said. “He gets emotional. But, I mean, at the end of the day, it just goes to show his love for us and his love for Pacelli.”
Senior leadership
Jones lauded the leadership from the seniors who have been on the roster since he took the helm in 2019.
“They stayed with us to try to turn this program around,” he said.
Before his arrival, the Vikings went 1-9 in 2016, 0-10 in 2017 and 4-6 in 2018. They improved their record each year under Jones: 5-5 in 2019, 7-4 (second round of state playoffs) in 2020 and 8-3 (second round of state playoffs) in 2021.
Senior linebacker John Thornton, leading the team with 10.6 tackles per game this season, is one of the four-year Vikings. The difference this season, he said, is “the amount of love we have for each other.”
Thornton credits Jones for paving the way.
“Tough love and discipline definitely taught us how to do our jobs and do our jobs to the best of our ability,” he said.
For example, Thornton said, extra running or squats for violations of team rules, and some players accepted positions they didn’t want instead of quitting.
Team-first mentality boosts performance, Thornton said, when players concentrate on their assignment instead of trying to be a superstar.
Just ask senior defensive end Jaquez Johnson, who leads the team with 12 sacks this season. During preseason practice, Jones asked each player to list seven goals for the year. Johnson wrote this seven times: win the state championship.
“Over the summer, we had a great time in the locker room, had a great time in the weight room,” Johnson said. “I’d seen chemistry building. I’d seen a big family. … So I felt it was possible.”
Now, on a 10-game winning streak — their lone loss, 27-23, was Aug. 26 to Tattnall Square Academy — that goal is one victory away from reality.
‘The grace of God’
With support from school president Ronie Collins and athletics director Corry Black, Jones said, “we knew that if we get enough athletes, we had a chance to make it better. And that’s what we’ve been able to do by the grace of God.”
The roster was down to 23 varsity players during Jones’ first year at St. Anne-Pacelli. Since then, the roster has more than doubled to 52. The guidance from Jones is the spark the Vikings needed, Johnson said.
“He really knows how to build character for players,” Johnson said. “He knows how to build a team.”
That means players stay humble and don’t point fingers at each other when stuff goes wrong, Johnson said.
“He’s just not out here trying to win the state,” Johnson said. “He actually cares about us as individuals.”
Ellis, who has completed 65.7% of his passes for 11 touchdowns and a 106.4 rating, plus 11 additional rushing touchdowns this season, transferred to St. Anne-Pacelli before his junior year, originally to play basketball and focus on academics. But after hearing the football players and Jones talk about their team, Ellis decided to join as well.
“Everybody as a whole just bought in to being who we are but also understanding that nobody’s perfect,” Ellis said, “being open to criticism, being open to be better, being coachable, being able to listen to not only your teammates but also your coaches.”
That commitment created a unified culture throughout the team, Ellis said.
“They care about our coaching staff, they care about me, they care about each other,” he said. “They’re not worried about who gets the recognition. They’re worried about if Pacelli wins on Friday night or not.”
That message goes beyond the football field.
“We’re here for a reason,” Jones said. “We’re here to make the world a better place, and these guys have definitely done that so far at Pacelli.”
Jones feels blessed to be part of it.
“I don’t have to yell and scream and browbeat these guys,” he said. “I know every day we come to practice, they’re going to be excited about being part of this football program. It’s been fun. It’s been a blast, man.”
Sensational semifinal
St. Anne-Pacelli advanced to the championship game by nipping crosstown rival Brookstone 20-17 in an overtime semifinal thriller.
Trailing 17-14, the Vikings faced third-and-24 from the Brookstone 36 after the Cougars sacked Ellis on two straight plays. This time, he rolled away from the pressure, got a key block from junior wide receiver Azarel Juste and scrambled to the Brookstone 1. Then he scored the winning touchdown on a sneak.
Ellis came through in crunch time after being so sick, he missed practice for 10 days before the game and went to a hospital to be hydrated via IV after the game.
“It was a heck of a game,” Ellis said. “It was not just me. It was everybody.”
Jones praised how the Vikings reacted to the situation’s pressure.
“These guys were calm, cool, collected,” he said. “. . . It’s a rally cry for us. … It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”
Jones scoffed at the notion that it will be tough for the team to rally for another high level of energy after such a sensational semifinal.
“If you can’t get up for this game,” he said, “you don’t need to be playing this game.”
Ellis put the sentiment this way: “We didn’t come this far to get this far. We’re not satisfied with just beating Brookstone.”
The Vikings not only have a better record than Stratford, but they won their regular-season game 21-7 Sept. 16 in Macon.
As for potential overconfidence against Stratford, Jones said, “It’s going to be which team plays for 48 minutes with their heart and soul and guts.”
This story was originally published December 1, 2022 at 3:37 PM.
