When J.P Fountain was coming up through the Wayne County school system, he saw the Yellow Jackets’ football program transform from average to extraordinary. As a freshman, Fountain was a part of the high water mark that the Yellow Jackets hit when they made it to the AAAA Final Four, losing to eventual champion Griffin.
“That was one of the most exciting things I have been a part of in my four years of playing high school athletics,” Fountain said. “The crowd along with the intensity of the players gave me a feeling that I hope to get back every time I step on the field.”
Four years later, Fountain has played football, baseball, track, and also been a swimmer for the Wayne County Yellow Jackets. “My favorite position of these four sports would be linebacker on the football team,” Fountain said.
The memory of the semi-final game at Griffin High School isn’t the only memory that Fountain carries from his freshman year. Just like the list of sports he has competed in for Wayne County High School, he also carries a 4.0 GPA and valuable lessons from one of his favorite teachers.
“My freshman year I took economics taught by Mr. Guill,” Fountain said. “Economics is very interesting to me, and I also enjoyed the style in which Mr. Guill taught. Right now I am taking calculus, and it’s one of my favorite classes I’ve taken throughout my whole career because my teacher, Mr. Martin, keeps it interesting. You can tell that he really wants everyone in the class to succeed in the way that he pushes us all past the limit we thought we could go.”
Expectations have followed Fountain, and he always understood the importance of those expectations both in the classroom and on the field.
“No matter what anyone tells you, the classroom always has priority over any sport,” Fountain said. “No one can rely completely on sports as a profession because even though many of us don’t want to hear this, everyone’s sports career comes to an end at some point. If you don’t have a strong education to lean back on, then no matter how good you were at sports, it’s not going to help you get a job.”
Fountain’s dedication to his studies has also helped him become a stronger student of the game of football. Since he is committed and works hard in the classroom, he is able to really understand the defense and make the calls on the field, something he takes great pride in.
“My eagerness for learning in the classroom transfers over to the field as well,” Fountain said. “It helps me understand my assignments for certain plays and helps me be very disciplined on the field. Being a good student also allows my coaches to rely on me to make the calls on the defensive side of the ball.”
As a senior football player and leader for Wayne County High School, he had to step up when the Yellow Jackets’ program went into disarray at the end of last year school.
“I really have to tip my hat to all my fellow seniors in how much we all stepped up to the plate and turned this change and made it a positive energy, which has pushed us to work harder,” Fountain said.
Camden County assistant Derek Chastain left the Wildcats around the middle of June to take the Wayne County job, his first head football coaching position. The Yellow Jackets’ assistants had kept players lifting, and senior leaders like Fountain knew with Chastain coming so late it would be fast learning curve, but the team embraced it.
“Coach Chastain has really impacted our program in a positive way since he arrived,” Fountain said. “At first many people didn’t like the sudden change of coaches, but as time passed we could all tell how much he cared for us without even being there for more than a week. Throughout this season, any time something good or bad happens he always tells us, ‘You didn’t choose me. I chose you.’”
Chastain is reciprocal of the compliments of Fountain and how he and the other seniors have really worked hard to learn Chastain’s coaching style and system.
“J.P. Fountain is one of the hardest workers we have in the classroom, weight room, and on the field,” Chastain said. “He has been a joy to get to know and coach these first few months. I hate that I only have a few months with him before he graduates. J.P. comes from a strong family that demands hard work and excellence at everything they do. His success in the classroom as well as on the field is a direct testament of his parents and the way they have raised their boys.”
Upon graduation, Fountain hopes to attend University of Georgia and major in the medical field. Once he receives an undergraduate degree, he plans on going into the field of dentistry, specializing in Orthodontics or Endodontics. Staying in the same hard working mold that will get him there, Fountain also wants to own his own business or private practice.
“I would like people to remember me mainly for all the hard work I have put in over my four years as a student-athlete,” Fountain said. “From on the field to in the classroom, I want people to think of me as the motivated person throughout the school. I like to base everything I do off of a quote by Charles Bukowski – ‘If you’re going to try, go all the way.’ – mainly because (since) before I can remember, my parents have always told me that hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard.”
ITG Web Content
Dedication On and Off the Field
Written by John Wood
Photo by Jeffrey Griffith
