STARKVILLE — Starkville football head coach Chris Jones was named the 2023 Coach of the Year in football by the Mississippi Association of Coaches last Tuesday.
Jones led the Yellow Jackets to their seventh state title and first since 2015, going 12-3 overall. Starkville ended the season on an eight-game winning streak, defeating Tupelo in the semifinals and Brandon in the state title game in Hattiesburg.
“It’s not about me,” Jones said. “It’s about the kids and the team. It means we had a good group of coaches around and a good group of players around. That’s what it means to me.”
Starkville dealt with adversity a month into the season, losing their first three district games after a 4-0 start. That put the Jackets at risk of missing the playoffs entirely.
The only way to guarantee a postseason berth was to win out, which is exactly what Starkville did, winning its last four games of the regular season.
The Jackets’ run to a state title was a historic one as Starkville became the first No. 4 seed in Mississippi High School Athletics Association Class 6A playoffs history to win a state title.
“Winning has been an expectation here since I began coaching,” Jones said. “I’m just trying to continue the tradition of winning here and winning championships here.”
Starkville returns quite a few of its starters on both sides of the ball, highlighted by recent Illinois commit Trey Petty, the expected starting quarterback, and four-star wide receiver Braylon “Stonka” Burnside.
“We understand how hard it is to win championships,” Jones said. “Winning one is a blessing, but last year is last year. As far as I’m concerned, that was in 2022. We’re about 2023 now, so we’re trying to stay locked in on this upcoming season and doing the things we can control to get better.”
Jones was one of 22 coaches and athletic directors selected as MAC Coaches of the Year. He and the other 21 recipients will be honored July 13 in Flowood.
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