The similarities have been striking. Following the same script that paid off 20 years ago when he helped rebuild a downtrodden Central High School football program, Curt Jones has the Purple Pounders poised once again for a revival.
In 2001, Jones took over a program that had suffered through more 1-9 finishes than winning seasons in the 30 years prior to his arrival. After taking more lumps with a young roster, in Jones' third season the Pounders opened 4-0 for the first time in 20 years on their way to an 8-4 record.
But the youthful Jones left one year later to pursue coaching opportunities with more established programs - among them Notre Dame, where he was the defensive coordinator for the 2017 team that played for the Division II-AA state title - and in his absence the Pounders reverted back to struggling. In a 13-year stretch, they won three or fewer games eight times - including a winless 2015 season in which the team scored seven or fewer points eight times - and had a revolving door of seven head coaches before Jones returned in 2018.
Now, again in his third season - and after suffering through growing pains again with a young roster - Jones has Central standing 3-1 overall and 3-0 in Region 3-4A after last week's impressive win over perennial power Red Bank.
"It really is sort of scary just how many similarities there are between now and 20 years ago when I was here," Jones said. "I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to be back here and have this second chance to help establish this program again. I'm a very different person and coach than I was that first time, and I'm old enough now to appreciate it more.
"I knew we would have some rough times when I first got back here because we were going to be playing so many young guys (17 freshman starters). But those freshmen had a lot of talent, so it was just a matter of being patient and watching them mature. That's been the biggest difference in turning the corner."
Defense has been the cornerstone of the rebuilding project as Central has allowed an average of just 9.3 points during its three-game winning streak. That group isn't just stingy but opportunistic as well, with an amazing five fumbles returned for touchdowns in the past two games. Pounders defenders had two of those scoop-and-score plays in last week's two-point upset of Red Bank, snapping an eight-game losing skid in the series.
"That's something else that's similar to our first time here in that we've taken some of our best athletes and put them on defense," Jones said. "We took the bigger linebackers and put their hand in the dirt to be more athletic up front, and we moved some of the bigger safeties to linebacker, all just to get more speed on the field.
"Now we've got some pretty fast dudes on that side, so we just tell them to line up and go get the ball. We're hanging our hat on that side of the ball because we're still young at quarterback and in other spots on offense."
Junior linebacker Chris Nichols leads the attacking defense with five tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and four forced fumbles.
The offense has no shortage of potentially electric playmakers - headed by senior running back Mike Watson, who has averaged 5.5 yards per carry, and junior Donovan Smith, who has averaged 27.4 yards on 13 catches - but will need freshman quarterback Ronye Watson to continue to mature before reaching its full potential. Still, he has thrown for 644 yards and seven touchdowns despite playing the position for the first time since little league.
"He's just such a great athlete, he needed to be on the field, and he's learning how to play that position pretty fast," said older brother Mike. "It makes me feel like the old guy on the team having my little brother in charge of the huddle. As a teammate I'm proud, but as an older brother I'm extremely proud because I know how hard he works.
"It was tough taking our lumps the last few years because of the competitor I am. I won't lie, I shed a few tears after that win last week because it felt monumental. We knew we had the talent to win, but we had to get over that mental hump and last week felt like we're finally getting the program where it should be. We've trusted the process, and all the struggles have just made what we're doing now feel even better."
The momentum from last week's win and the fast start overall have Central players now believing in themselves and their ability to challenge for a region title. After hosting Class 5A's Clinton this week, the Pounders are set to finish the regular season with three league games.
"Finally these kids have realized they can not only compete but finish in a close game," Jones said. "It took a while to change their mindset because a lot of the kids had gotten accustomed to getting beat. We're past all that now, and I'm just so proud for them because these kids deserve to get to experience that feeling like we had last week when all their work paid off."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.