On the gridiron and on the diamond, J.Z. George senior Josh Wiggins is a versatile athlete.
In football, he was an all-star punter and a two-way lineman. For the Jaguars' baseball team, he pitches and plays centerfield.
“For us, he did everything,” said football coach Ben Burton. “When it comes to small school athletes, he was the prototypical athlete who never came off the field.”
Baseball coach Wylie Rhodes said, “Josh Wiggins is exactly what we as coaches look for in an athlete at J.Z. George. He's been a consistent, selfless competitor in football and baseball. He's done everything he's ever been asked to do and more. He's going to leave a big hole for us in both sports when he's done.”
Much like the story of Lou Gehrig entering the Yankees' lineup to stay when Wally Pipp was sick one day in 1925, Wiggins became the Jaguars' punter as a freshman due to an injury.
“He (Wiggins) was next in line,” Burton said. “He was kind of thrown out there as a punter his ninth grade year and he has consistently gotten better every year.”
As a senior, Wiggins averaged 39.5 yards to earn 3-3A all-region honors and a scholarship to Holmes Community College. “He has the ability to flip the field at any time,” Burton said.
Wiggins said the main part of punting is to make sure the drop is right, which can be difficult on a windy night. “You just kick it and hope for the best.”
In baseball, he prefers pitching to playing in the field and said a two seam slider is his best pitch. “It took me about two months to get it good.”
His versatility will come to an end at Holmes, where he will concentrate on football, his favorite sport, and on punting. He plans to study welding.
“I grew up around it,” he said. “My granddad was always welding.”
