The Lakeland Cavaliers did not have to go very far to find its newest head football coach. In fact, they stayed within the Southeastern District for that man and went to one of the state’s most accomplished programs.
Joe Jones, the defensive coordinator from Chesapeake powerhouse Oscar Smith High School, has been named Lakeland’s new Head Football Coach. It was officially announced by Lakeland Athletic Director Gregory Rountree on Tuesday.
"The day of my grandmother's funeral, which was Monday, Coach Rountree called me. He told me that he wanted to congratulate me and offer me the head coaching job. The first thought in my head was, 'Man, my grandmother went up there and went straight to work.' I'm excited about the opportunity," Jones told VirginiaPreps.com.
At Lakeland, Jones replaces Kevin Knight, who departed in April after four seasons at the helm. The Cavaliers went 16-29 overall under Knight, highlighted in 2016 by playoff victory over Poquoson and Tabb before falling to Phoebus in the Region 3A Championship game.
His name had been rumored with more than a couple of vacancies the past couple years, but Jones started to wonder if he'd get the shot to lead his own program in 2019.
"It's been a long time. I feel like I'm ready for this moment," Jones added. "I've been preparing myself over the course of the past few seasons, getting all my documents ready and focusing on my organization so that I can hit the ground running day one. I walked through the halls on Tuesday and the kids were excited. They've been out of the weight room, really without direction for a little while now. We're going to try to start building day by day."
A two-time All-Southeastern District linebacker at Oscar Smith, Jones graduated in 2006 with the most tackles in Tigers history with 214. That mark has since been surpassed. He also set the single-season record for tackles with 112 in 2005. It too was also later broken, ironically by his younger brother, Perry, when he registered 141 tackles in 2007.
Jones, 30, played College Football at Virginia State University, where was recognized as All-CIAA as a true freshman.
With Jones on staff, the Tigers continued their tradition of excellence in the Southeastern District, where the school has played for a regional title every season from 2004-18. He’s been an assistant under Rich Morgan, the late great Bill Dee (recently named to the VHSL Hall of Fame) and Scott Johnson.
"I used to listen to Coach Morgan a lot when he would talk to myself and a couple of the young coaches. He would always tell us when you get your own program what we needed to do. One of the things that always stuck was discipline. That means being discipline in everything you do, whether it's on the field, off the field, when people are watching, people aren't watching, when you're in the weight room or when you're in class," Jones recalled.
"It's a daily process. We want them to always keep in the forefront of their heads that program trumps everything. No single person or single coach is greater than the program. Under Coach Morgan and Coach Dee, that was a constant message. Those were two of the people I listened to the most and learned the most from."
Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network, and is a regular contributor to the ACC Sports Journal. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mailhatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him weeknights from 6-7 PM on The 757 at 6 as well as every Saturday at 10 AM to Noon on ESPN Radio 94.1.
