Allendale-Fairfax High invites families to football interest meeting with Coach Jones

Families at Allendale-Fairfax High School were invited to the AFHS Gymnasium at 6 p.m. to meet Coach Kevin Jones and hear how he planned to lead the Tigers into the coming season. Allendale County Schools framed the gathering as a chance for prospective players and parents to talk through expectations early, with Jones described as a new coach who wanted to build the program on discipline, structure and sportsmanship.

The hire carried weight beyond football. Allendale County Schools named Jones head football coach and assistant athletic director, and said he brought 16 years of coaching experience in South Carolina. Local reporting said he previously coached at Blackville-Hilda High School, where he led the Hawks to a 10-win season in his first year, and also coached at Hampton High School in Georgia. For a program looking to steady itself, that background gave the district a coach with a rebuilding record, not just a fresh face.

The football page at Allendale County Schools already laid out the next steps for the Tigers. Official practice was set to begin Sept. 8, with offense versus defense allowed that same day. Helmets and shoulder pads were also scheduled to start on Sept. 8, followed by full pads on Sept. 10. Players will have to complete two days in helmets, two days in shoulder pads and one day in full gear before they can take part in a scrimmage, jamboree or contest.

That planning matters because Allendale-Fairfax was coming off a difficult 2025 season. CarolinaPreps listed the Tigers in SCHSL Class 1A, Region 4, with a 1-10 record, 54 points scored and 459 points allowed. Against that backdrop, the emphasis on families being present at the meeting showed how much the district wants the program to be anchored in buy-in from home as well as from the locker room.

For Allendale County, the football reset is about more than a new coach. It is part of the larger work of keeping students involved, strengthening campus life and giving the school a stronger public identity. Jones now enters that task with a clear mandate and a schedule already taking shape around him.