As brothers are apt to do from time to time, Jon Reed McLendon and Jordan McLendon had their fair share of fights as they grew up. One time when they were both young teenagers they got into such a scuffle that their father took them to a cemetery afterwards to teach them a lesson. “I want you to pick out a gravesite for your younger brother because the way things are going you are going to kill him” their dad told Jon Reed. The moment was poignant. Jon Reed, now 28, and Jordan, now 22, still remember it because of what their father taught them about their special relationship. “I even cried,” Jordan said.
The McLendon brothers learned from their father’s lesson that day and other lessons. They both grew into young men and matured, and they both kept their passion for playing sports.
Today Jon Reed McLendon is the head coach of the Greenville Christian School varsity football team, and Jordan is the defensive coordinator on the team. Assistant coaches Justin Leavy and Chris Tyler make out the rest of the GCS staff.
The brothers are now entering their fourth season of working together on the sidelines for the Saints who begin their season August 23 at Tri-County Academy.
Working together, they say, has been a great fit. Jon Reed is the more analytical of the two, while Jordan helps put a fire underneath the team, when the time calls for it.
“We really complement each other well, I think,” Jon Reed said. “We both add something different to the players which I think is important.”
As youngsters, Jordan was an All-State athlete for Greenville Christian in football, basketball and baseball. Jon Reed, in fact, coached his younger brother his senior year of high school.
This season the McLendon brothers hope to lead the Saints to one of GCS’ best seasons in recent memory. What GCS may lack in numbers, they make up for in talent and hard work.
Some of the talented Saint players to look out for this season include running back Marlon Palmer, receiver Lawson Stokes, quarterback Mike Mohead, safety Marcus Anderson and defensive back Keenan Howard.
“We got a really good group of players that are talented,” Coach Jon Reed said. “We only graduated three players last year, so we will have some good experience out there.”
