Mavs get their man
Boynton tabbed to lead ACHS on the diamond
Josh Boynton (center) stands with Ben Downs (left) and Athletic Director Gary Terry (photo:Collin Riggs )
“I spent 10 years with Coach Downs,” Boynton said. “We actually came into the system together in the ’07-08 school year, then I spent four years with Coach Stooksbury. I’ve been here a long time now.”
Boynton played for Motlow State Community College from 2000-2002 before transferring to Tennessee Tech after an injury.
“That was where I met Mr. Downs and Jonathan Cox, so when I finished up, Jonathan Cox reached out to me and said, ‘Hey, there’s this job in Lake City.’ I actually interviewed at the principal’s house, and after I got the job, Mr. Downs took over the program at Anderson County not long after. I called him up and asked if I could come on and help out as a volunteer. From that point on, it’s been AC Baseball ever sense. Got the job in January of that year and have never looked back.”
Boynton said he never intended to stay this long at Anderson County.
“My plan was originally to spend a year here and then move closer to home, but now ten years later, Downs and I are still coaching together. The love for the community and the program kept me here. This feels like home now, honestly. I’ve spent 14 years of my life there, and hopefully will be able to continue a lot longer.”
Boynton said that he hopes to emphasize that community aspect with the team going forward.
“I’m a big relationship guy and the relationship I have with those guys and their families is great to me. I’m a big community guy and I want these guys to serve the community. We just finished up with camp this past week and we had around 80 kids and to see those kids interact with those guys, the kids treat them like superstars. The high school guys don’t see that, but it’s there.
“It’s not all about wins and losses. As a head coach, I’m trying to instill the values in these guys to be good fathers and husbands and leaders. Some of these kids we have, they need baseball more than baseball necessarily needs them. Every team needs those kids, and if I can keep one kid off the streets or away from a bad group, then obviously that’s what I want to do.”
To that end, Boynton said he plans to bring in former players to give the students their experiences of playing at Anderson County and how baseball has ultimately affected their lives.
“I actually had several former guys reach out to me when I was named the head coach and that makes you feel good. It makes you feel like you’ve had an impact on their lives. I have plans with some of those guys about coming in and just talking to the kids about what their experience was like playing baseball and what it’s like in the real world. Baseball is a game that teaches you about life and the real world. You’ll struggle and things won’t go your way, and how are you going to react to that struggle? Are you going to lay down or go out there and fight and provide? We’ve had a lot of people do a lot of things after leaving this program and I want those guys to come in and talk about how baseball has helped them with whatever they’ve ended up doing in life.”