Baconton Charter believes persistence will pay off | PHOTO GALLERY

BACONTON — It’s barely even daylight on this new morning, and on a grassy field beside the Dollar General Baconton Charter School football players trot onto the practice field.

There are the continual sounds of passing cars on U.S. Highway 19, which runs parallel to the field. Occasionally, a passing motorist will honk his horn at the team.

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It’s a relatively cool day, but for a program still considered to be an infant, these aren’t ideal conditions for teenage boys seeking an opportunity for glory on the gridiron.

In six years, Baconton hasn’t had a winning season, and this will be the second season the school will be playing a region schedule.

But that doesn’t deter these boys.

Today, they work on special teams such as extra-point attempts, kickoffs and punt returns. Coach Johnny Hayes, a longtime veteran who has had his share of success as an assistant at Bainbridge and Rabun County High, watches every play like a red-tailed hawk stalking its prey.

He and his staff pay close attention to detail.

“This region is tough,” Hayes said. “We’re going to have to win on the little things, such as technique, discipline and effort. I say little things. They are actually big things, but they are things that we can do. We’ve got to be more fundamentally sound than a lot of folks because we’re not going to be more athletic than most teams we play.”

When an errant snap on a punting drill goes over the punter’s head, Hayes nearly comes unglued. His takes off his hat, runs his fingers through his hair, then tells the players to do it again.

The thing is, Hayes won’t stay mad at them for long. He considers each player like a son and constantly gives constructive criticism. He and his assistants have often caught criticism for their lack of victories, but he realizes the program is still a work in progress. And, he said, sometimes there are some things more important than the almighty “W.”

“I tell them and their parents that this is not necessary Football 101 … this is Life 101,” Hayes said. ” The things they learn out there when they’re practicing and it’s hot and they’re not doing so good and the coaches are getting on them, they take it, they man up. These are things they’ll take with them the rest of their lives.

“But the bottom line is there is a real world out there waiting for them. I tell them that you have to be tough, you have to accept criticism in every walk of life. To me, short of the military, this is the best game that teaches young men how to be better.”

Last season, Baconton shut down Stewart County for its only victory. And with the exception of two other games — Pelham and Atkinson County — Hayes said his Blazers competed well.

They held a 16-0 advantage over Terrell County before losing the lead and dropping the game.

They led Miller County by a point with three minutes left before eventually falling.

Hayes, his staff and the players believe that persistence, over time, will pay off.

“Coach always preaches to us to do it the right way, whether we win or lose,” junior lineman Tristen Goodman said. “You have to be out here on time, respect your coaches and if you do things the right way, you’re probably going to win the game.”

The remaining players believe it, too, a reason Baconton is optimistic. After a week of conditioning last week, Georgia High School Association teams can now practice in pads. The team knows the practices are going to get more intense.

And with school starting soon, the morning practices will eventually end, meaning they will be working out in the hottest part of the afternoon.

The Blazers, however, are prepared for it.

Hayes said he was impressed that most of the team came early, at 6 a.m., for weight training this summer. The team’s weight facility has no air-conditioning units, and most of the players’ commitment was second to none, something Hayes can’t help but smile about.

“I believe in coach 100 percent,” Goodman said. “I do whatever he asks me to do. He’s a dang good coach. He’s going to coach us and tell us what we need to do to win games, and if we do it right, we can win some games this season.”

Which will make all those sweaty early morning workouts worth it.