Jason Cameron, Calvary Day head coach
Today’s interviewee is Calvary Day coach Jason Cameron, whose team defeated Fellowship Christian 24-7 in the Class 3A-A Private semifinals last week. Calvary Day will play defending champion Hebron Christian for the championship next week. It will be Calvary’s first championship game appearance since 2013. Calvary has never won a football state title. Cameron was promoted to head coach for this season after serving two seasons as offensive coordinator for 277-game winner Mark Stroud, who retired. Cameron previously was head coach at Vidalia and Jenkins.
1. Good performance against Fellowship Christian. They had not been held below 25 points this season. You held them to seven. What was the game plan, and what do you feel your team did well to give you the edge? “Fellowship is a phenomenal team in all three facets of the game. Offensively, they were so dynamic with a ton of overall team speed and a big physical offensive line. No. 1, their quarterback [Jonathan Granby, who wears jersey No. 1], and No. 3, their running back [C.J. Givers], are great players and are the type of guys that any time they touch it they can take it the distance. Our game plan was to try to be the more physical team and rally to the football. We stressed all week the importance of pursuing the football and getting as many hats to the ball as possible. Our defensive coaches did a great job putting together a great game plan schematically and made some really great in-game adjustments.”
2. What's the biggest concern that you have with Hebron Christian? What does Hebron present that creates the most problems for opponents? “Watching films on Hebron, they do not have many weaknesses. They are extremely well coached, physical, fast and really disciplined. Their offensive line play is as good as we have faced all year, and they have a stud at the running back position [Devon Caldwell]. Their speed on the perimeter really makes you have to defend every blade of grass on the field. Defensively, they tackle very well in space and are really disruptive up front. I was very impressed with their secondary and their ability to get involved in the run and cover. Coach Dallas [Kenny Dallas] has them playing at an extremely high level.”
3. You had been a head coach at Jenkins and Vidalia. You had historic success at Jenkins, taking them to the semifinals. How are you different as a head coach now? What impact did being on coach Mark Stroud's staff for two years have on you? “Working under Coach Stroud is one of the greatest blessings I have had professionally. He is an amazing leader of young men and taught me so much in the two years I worked under him. His patience and calmness in huge situations really were an eye opener for me. I tended to be a little more animated earlier in my coaching career – it still comes out from time to time – than I am now, and working with coach Stroud has a lot to do with that. He often used the phrase ‘calm in the chaos,’ which I still share with our team on a weekly basis. His X’s and O’s speak for themselves, but for me his mentorship has been invaluable in my growth as a coach. He taught me what it truly means to run a faith-based program.”
4. You're from New Jersey and played college basketball in your home state. How did a Jersey basketball player become a Georgia football coach? “New Jersey will always be home to me and has truly shaped me into the person I am today. I had a great support system there and learned great values from two amazing parents. I never in a million years thought I would move from New Jersey, but God had different plans for me when I met my beautiful wife, Brooke, who is originally from Savannah. Becoming a head football coach was never a true goal of mine, but since moving to Georgia in 2011, it is all I have ever wanted to do. Anyone who knows me can tell you that wins and losses are very low on my list of importance. I love impacting young people and aiding in their growth as young adults. I truly ‘get to’ go to work every day, and Fridays have become even better now that my 9-year-old, Jaxon, is on our sideline with me. I would not want to be doing anything else, anywhere else.”
