Josh Jones has already accomplished so much in three years at Morgan County.
His most recent triumph was placing first in both the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles at the GHSA Class AAA State Championship meet this past Saturday.
Jones won the 110-meter race with a time of 14.27 seconds, while he posted a 38.06-second mark in the 300-meter hurdle competition.
He told the Lake Oconee News that his season went well, despite not reaching all of his goals.
“My main goal was to hit a high-13 second time in the 110-meter hurdles, so I came up a little bit short,” Jones said. “However, I did hit my goal of obtaining a time of 38 seconds in the 300-meter hurdles this season. So, overall, it went well.”
During Jones’ freshman campaign, he ran multiple short-distance races before the season got cut short due to COVID. Last year, he decided to focus just on hurdles, specifically the 300-meter hurdle race. In 2022, he added the 110-hurdles to the mix.
Jones highlighted that the transition to running the 110-meter hurdles was tough, but he adjusted quickly.
“I was afraid to tackle the height because the difference is a lot,” Jones said. “So, I started training in December to adjust to the new height and to begin the transition process to learn the differences between the two races.”
There is a three-step system that most track and field coaches teach to their athletes when they start training to compete in the 110-meter hurdle races.
Jones said learning that technique didn’t “affect him.”
“The biggest problem I had was adjusting to the block start,” he said. “I had to start with my right leg, but I am left-leg dominant. With practice, I got used to it. During the first part of my season, I ran a 14.7, which wasn’t bad. Eventually, I started to flourish at it once I started working on it with my private coach.”
Jones ran a mark of 14.57 seconds in the 110-meter at the Region 4-AAA Championship meet on April 28. A week later, he recorded a PR of 14.16 seconds at the Class AAA sectionals meet on May 7. In the pre-trials at last week’s state meet, he ran a time of 14.24 before posting his winning mark of 14.27 seconds.
In the 300-meter hurdles, he ran a PR of 37.93 seconds at the region meet. Jones then posted a 38.96 mark at the sectionals meet before running a 38.51-second race on Saturday in the pre-trials. His time of 38.06 seconds in the state final trumped both those previous marks and it was good enough for first.
Jones showed a lot of consistency over the last month of the season and his hard work paid off.
He admitted that his teammates and coaches from Morgan County wer happy for him.
“They never doubted me,” Jones said. “They thought I could do it.”
He added that the team camaraderie was at an “all-time high” at the end of the season.
“The team did come together and we had a lot of fun supporting each other,” Jones said. “It was time of laughter. Probably of the best things about a track meet is spending time with your friends. That’s what I love about track.”
MCHS head track and field coach Dusty Hawkin was proud of Jones’ accomplishment.
“Josh is an extremely hard worker,” Hawkins said. He demonstrates perseverance and persistence towards track. Josh puts in extra time at practice and it shows whe he performs. He’s always striving to be his best on and off the track. Simply put, Josh maximizes his potential and I’m fortunate enough to be his coach.”
Now, Jones will start prepping for his senior season and prepare for the next step.
“The plan is to run in college,” Jones said. “I’ve been trying to focus on narrowing down my times and trying to meet these college’s specific standards for the 110-meter. I’ve reached it for the 300-meter, but am still on the peak of it for the 110-meter. However, I just started my journey with that race.”
He stated that a few college coaches have shown interest in him.
“I have been sought out and shown interest,” Jones said. “But for the most part, right now, I am trying to mainly focus on the art of worrying about how I am going to get my times down. It’s more about the fun of the races and that’s the passion I have for the sport. So, the plan is to go (run in college), but also, I am going to do it with the mindset of having fun while I do it. I am still going to work and I am going to put in the effort to be who truly I need to be.”