TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — When DeMario Jones was hired at Godby in December of 2021, one of his main goals was building and sustaining a nutrition program. Coach Jones knows from experience what good nutrition can do for a team. He's looking to up the Cougars game by bringing something similar, and a lot more, to Tharpe Street, things that can't be done without support from the community.
A tough loss when he was an assistant coach at Valdosta High School turned into the "Feed the Cats" program, and the rest is history.
"Some moms approached the coaching staff about starting a program that would help us with nutrition and be able to give our boys more energy in the tank," he said of how the program started.
The difference, Jones said was obvious.
"We found that kids were coming to school more often, discipline referrals were down, attendance was up."
Now, he wants to bring a similar program to Godby High School.
"There's a lot of things I'd love to do football wise that I know would get our team better, but it comes down to money."
The ultimate goal?
"Ideally, I'd love for our program to run on $100,000 a year," he said.
But that includes helmets, shoulder pads, transportation, the things it takes to run a successful football program.
"That could go out there and win a championship maybe," said Godby junior Cam'ron Hoyte. "Get us where we need to go, help us, influence us."
"It's more than just football," added junior Tony McClain. "It's a brotherhood, it's a family. We're all trying to succeed and do one thing, and that's make it to the next level."
A level that the Cougars are looking to reach with a little support from the community.
"They deserve to have the best opportunity to be successful, and if we can provide that, I would love to provide that," said Jones.
A chance for these athletes to get better now, and add to the legacy that is Godby Cougar football.
"He's not just building us to play football, he's building us to be better men in the future," said McClain.
"I know sometimes it just takes a little bit of motivation for that spark to go in a kid and for him to get his life going in the right direction where it may not have been," said Jones. "That's ultimately what we're trying to do."
Spring practice starts May 1st for high schools in the state of Florida.
