By Robert Wilson
Jackson Prep’s Jon Marcus Duncan became the winningest high school soccer coach in Mississippi history Wednesday night.
And his team did it in the fashion like hundreds of his other wins came about, by dominating the opponent with skill, speed, passing and defense.
Prep defeated Heritage Academy 7-0 to give Duncan his historic victory.
Duncan passed Karl Friedrich, who finished with 831 victories in 32 seasons at Harrison Central. Friedrich retired in 2012 and started Harrison Central’s soccer program in 1982. He coached boys from 1982-2012 and girls from 1997-2012.
Said Friedrich: “Best of luck to Jon. He is a legend.”
Duncan, a Prep and a University of Mobile graduate, has an 832-167-61 record – an amazing 83.3 winning percentage – in his 25th season and has 29 state titles (15 boys and 14 girls). He has a 460-81-30 boys record and a 372-86-31 girls record.
The National Federation of State High School Associations don’t have a record for most combined wins. Terry Michler of St. Louis has the boys record with 1,023 wins (1972-2021). Carlos Giron of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has the girls record with 770 wins (1984-2016).
Former Pearl and Brandon boys and girls coach Randy West is third in Mississippi with 699 combined career wins. West coached from 1984-2023 and had 588 boys wins and 111 girls wins.
“Congratulations to Jon Marcus,” West said. “That’s an impressive achievement. Coach Duncan has always done a great job of preparing his teams to compete at a very high level. His ability to make adjustments and improve as the season progresses has equated to success for him, his players, and the program. Jon Marcus has invested in building relationships with the parents, players and the soccer community.”
Duncan’s father, Jimmy Duncan, called him in the summer of 2000 when Jon Marcus was working day camps at UMS-Wright High School in Mobile.
“He said, JM, the Prep soccer job is open,” Jon Marcus said. “You may want to give (then Prep athletic director) Dwayne Cupples a phone call or he might be calling you.”
Jon Marcus didn’t waste any time.
“I immediately asked for the number, and I called Coach Cupples,” Jon Marcus said. “I went on two interviews and a week or two later was offered the job. I would be teaching seventh grade life science and also head coach for both boys and girls soccer programs. I graduated from the University of Mobile with a bachelor’s degree in biology so that helped with the life science teaching.”
That started the Duncan era and he’s still going strong. In fact, Duncan won his 29th state title last spring with the MAIS boys state championship.
“When I decided to take the soccer job at Prep, I never imagined this,” Duncan said. “I never knew what the record was until a few years ago. It was never about the record, but always about making Jackson Prep Soccer one of the best programs in the state of Mississippi and the country. Each and every player that contributed to this program holds a special place in my heart. I can’t thank them enough. My family has been my biggest and number one fan. They helped with this. My wife Tammy has been by my side and witnessed the ups and downs of me being a coach and has always supported this dream of mine. Jackson Prep’s support for this soccer program can’t be measured, absolutely unbelievable. Each and every assistant coach that has been on the field with me have been awesome. I’m blessed for sure.”
Duncan coached his oldest daughter, Josie, from 2016-2022. His youngest daughter, Abby, is a senior on this year’s team. Josie played two years at Jones County Junior College and was a part of JCJC’s national championship team in 2023. She is now at Mississippi State and is a pre-dental major. Abby has verbally committed to play at JCJC.
“I’m so happy for Jon Marcus and this accomplishment,” Prep athletic director Will Crosby said. “What I appreciate more than the wins is the 29 state titles he has won in his 24 years of coaching both boys and girls. Man, that’s a lot of championships. We are fortunate to have a staff full of very successful and accomplished coaches at Jackson Prep. I’m specifically grateful that every one of Coach Duncan’s wins and championships have been right here at Prep. That’s really special. But I know Jon Marcus well. While he appreciates this milestone, I know where his focus is. He’s a fierce competitor and I know all he’s really thinking about right now is this team and this season.”
Prep junior forward Torrey Polk has learned a lot from Duncan. Polk led the team in scoring for the past two seasons.
“Coach Duncan is a huge role model for me,” said Polk, who has played on the varsity since the seventh grade. “The way he loves and has so much passion for the game makes me want to play harder for him. I’ve grown up being him coaching around and couldn’t wait until the day I stepped foot on that Prep field to play for him. I’m so excited that he has now broken the record and I can’t wait to help him achieve more wins.”
Laura Lee Smith (Beneke) is considered the best girls player Duncan has ever coached and one of the best girls players in Mississippi history. She won the Mississippi Gatorade Girls Soccer Player of the Year twice as a junior and senior in 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. Beneke played varsity six years and helped Prep win four state championships (2005-2008). She went on to be an All-SEC performer at Alabama. She is now an emergency room doctor at UMMC.
“I can remember meeting Coach Duncan when I showed up at the Prep soccer camp in elementary school,” Beneke said. “He might not even recall the moment, but he asked me where I would be attending high school. When I told him my parents were sending me to Prep he said, ‘Great, we are going to be a team,’ and then proceeded to really pay attention to me – for better or for worse – every time I showed up at camp. Even very young, I could sense how passionate he was about coaching.
“I was very fortunate to have Jon Marcus as my high school soccer coach to help me navigate high school and club soccer schedules with college recruiting occurring throughout the year. He clearly always had my best interest in mind to support my staying strong and healthy. We had a lot of wins during my time at Prep, but his passion on the field for every single game never allowed us to become complacent or think any win was a guarantee.
“One of my favorite things about Coach Duncan is how he shows up with the same intensity and passion to every practice and every game year after year.”
“Coach Duncan is a great coach and mentor,” said Prep senior midfielder Elliot Davis, who was a member of Prep’s state championship team last season. “He’s competitive and his desire to win is contagious. Coach Duncan truly cares about each and every one of his players. It’s been a pleasure to play for him and I’m honored to have helped him continue to that milestone. I hope that this year we can add even more wins to his record.”
Daniel Lang played for Duncan from 2006-2011 and won a state title his senior year, a part of that team that finished 22-0, ranked in the Top 20 in the country and was the first Prep team to go undefeated with no losses and no ties. That team was the start of a Mississippi record 10 straight state championships for Duncan and Prep. Lang played soccer at Mississippi College and is now the Director of Economic Development at the City of Flowood.
“Coach Duncan always knows the key to winning is preparation,” Lang said. “He prepares his players for tough moments before the season and before each game. Coach Duncan knows how to get the best effort out of each of his players in the easy and hard times. He always pushed me to be the best player and person I could be and looking back now I know he was preparing myself and all of us for whatever life throws at us. Coach Duncan truly had an indelible mark on my life of which I’m grateful for.”
Jackson Academy boys and girls soccer coach Phillip Buffington played for Duncan from 2000-2005 and was an assistant coach for Duncan in 2010. He was on Duncan’s first team at Prep in 2000 as an eighth grader. Buffington helped Prep to four straight state titles and set a Mississippi record with 61 goals in his senior year.
“Duncan and I have known each other for 24 years and he still coaches in year 24 with the same enthusiasm, energy, and drive like he did in year 1, which is the most impressive thing about him,” said Buffington, who is in his ninth season as a head coach, the last seven at JA, Prep’s biggest rival. “Holding and continuing to build on the career wins record is an incredible accomplishment, nobody is more deserving than Jon Marcus for all he’s done and still doing coaching at Prep. Duncan and I have maintained a great relationship on and off the field from being a player and an assistant coach and now even more coaching against each other for the last nine years. Big congratulations to an incredible accomplishment and career that is still rolling and will be seeing him on the field again shortly in a couple of weeks in late August.”
“Jon Marc is a stand-up guy,” said Jake Benton, who has been coaching boys and girls teams at Hartfield Academy for the past 11 seasons. “When I first got to Hartfield, he would always stick around and congratulate and encourage me after our matches. I admire his passion for the game and his drive. He shows up every day. I enjoy coaching against his teams because I know they’ll be organized on the field and one thing I have props for is that he can always get his players up for every game. It’s been a pleasure coaching against Jon Marc, and I hope we can continue to have many more memorable nights under the lights. Congrats JM.”
Duncan said he couldn’t have reached this milestone without great assistants. TJay Busin and Ami Powell are his current assistansts. Past assistant coaches include Jay Lyles, Keavy Noblin, Mari Claire Nix, Ousmane Coulibaly, Rigo Cedano, Marion Wise, Kate Carter, Daniel Lang, Jonathan Branch, and Phillip Buffington.
Duncan, 47, doesn’t plan on slowing down any time soon. His Lady Patriots are 4-0-1 and next game is Aug. 22 against Washington. He is shooting for his 15th girls state championship. He won No. 14 two years ago. Buffington and JA defeated Prep 2-1 in the state championship game last season. Duncan has 10 starters returning from last year’s team, which finished 17-3.
Duncan has averaged 34 ½ combined wins over his career and if he keeps that pace, he could reach his 1,000th win in about five years.
“Coaching has and will always be a passion of mine,” Duncan said. “Seeing results from hard work is awesome. I don’t think I can put a number on how many years I plan on coaching. I feel as though I have the same amount of energy and enthusiasm for coaching as I did when I started this journey at Prep 24 years ago. People ask me all the time, ‘how many years you got left?’ l always tell them one year at a time. Jackson Prep is a fantastic place to work. An environment has been created there that makes it hard to leave. My focus is on this year, especially with it being my youngest daughter’s senior year.”
