Today’s interviewee is East Jackson coach Cameron Pettus, whose team defeated Commerce 14-13 last week. It was East Jackson’s first victory over county rival Commerce or a top-10 team in the history of the school, which opened in 2007. Pettus is a Paulding County graduate. He had been head coach at Belleville High in Illinois for eight seasons before taking the East Jackson job in 2019.
1. How was last week’s game decided? What gave your team the edge? “I thought we had great confidence going into the game because we worked so hard in the offseason, and even though we lost last week [to Winder-Barrow 43-20] we showed a lot of toughness and character battling back in the second half. Special teams were solid, our offense made the plays we had to to take the lead in the fourth quarter, and then the defense finished the game for us in the end.”
2. Was winning this game special? If so, why, and what has been the reaction of the team and those around it? “So very special for our players, staff and community. The smiles from everyone after the game is the memory which will be remembered. Playing a fantastic program separated by a couple miles away makes this game intense and so much fun. It just doesn’t get much better than that.”
3. Jackson County is unusual in that it has Jefferson and Commerce, two city schools with lots of football tradition. Is that a factor in building a program where there hasn’t been as much tradition? What are the challenges related to that, and how have you dealt with them? “Consistency. People in the community knowing who we are, and players know that we will be here for them. There was a lot of turnover before, and if you truly want to build a program, you have to be consistent.”
4. What attracted you to this job, and to what do you attribute the progress, which includes inheriting a 1-9 team, earning your first playoff berth a couple of years ago, first playoff win last year, and now this? “When I visited, it just reminded me of Paulding County High School back when I graduated. It was still rural but growing, and it just felt like home. Also, our board of education and administration have made a commitment not only to create a fantastic facility for us but is constantly improving them. We are blessed here to have what we have and the support. As for the progress, it’s all about the people here. They have bought into the mission. We are going to show up every day, work our butts off and love one another. That sounds easy, but it can be extremely difficult to do in today’s age and time.”
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