Jones to lead Patterson football program

First-year Patterson High School Principal Lane Larive had a check list when he went looking for the Lumberjacks’ fourth coach in five seasons. Needlessly to say, the Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame Coach Don Jones fits the bill.
“I had an idea of what we needed at this time and we we were lucky enough to identify and make a decision early,” Larive said. “We had a strong pool of candidates and was able to get one of the best guys out there.”
Jones is one of the state’s all-time winningest coaches with a career mark of 233-151-3.
The 69-year-old has coached at Woodlawn, Plaquemine, Wisner, Sterlington, Crowley and Winnfield. He left Woodlawn in 2012, spending a season at Morgan City High School as an assistant coach before taking over as the Berwick Junior High School coach for the last three seasons.
“Hey, I may not look as good on the sidelines as I once did and I may move a little slower, but mentally I can still match wits with any of these young guys,” Jones said. “I think I have four or five good years left in me and I can help this team turn things around. I still exercise everyday, so I’m like a kid in a candy store. I know Patterson’s history and I understand the team’s role in the community.”
Jones recently met with the team and came away impressed with the players’ maturity and the coaching staffs’ commitment to the players.
“I talked to one player who is practically on his own and that was unheard of just a few years ago,” Jones stressed. “I want to get to know these kids and their lives so I can understand how to relate to them. I will have an open door policy to all my players and their families or whoever is important to them.
"I also saw the passion and love my young coaches like C.L. (Grogan) and Carlon (Butler) have for these kids, I came away very pleased.”
Jones has also been in the film room and says PHS’ cupboard is far from empty.
“They finished second in district last season and have some collegiate talent coming back next season,” he said. “You can’t tackle Dajon (Richard) in a phone booth. We will run the football but also be multiple enough to spread the field when needed. We just have to get in that weight room and get strong, that’s our first goal. I also want get the great college players and alumni like Mykel (Jones) and others around these guys as much as possible. I believer in tradition so we’ve already stripped that white lettering of the helmets; P-Town wears solid black helmets.”
Jones said: “We’re going raise a little money to fix up around here (the field house) and where are all the pictures on the walls showing the great tradition."
"I want this to be a great experience for all of our players, whether they’re going on to play in college or not," Jones said. "I know football is not an easy sport, but I truly believe it prepares a young man for life like no other sport.”