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High Five: Freedom finds it hard
to keep up with Jones, Laurel

High Five: Freedom finds it hard to keep up with Jones, Laurel

Written: Oct 05, 2011
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By Joe Simon

New Castle News

It’s rare to see Laurel High’s Dylan Jones without a smile on the football field.

Friday night, he caused a lot of frowns at Freedom as he torched the Bulldogs for 230 rushing yards and five touchdowns to fuel the Spartans’ 46-6 triumph. He added two interceptions on defense to help wrap up the WPIAL Class AA Midwestern Conference decision. His performance earned him Athlete of the Week honors, an award sponsored by Washington Centre Physical Therapy and selected by the New Castle News sports staff.

However, Jones and his Laurel teammates weren’t exactly overjoyed early on. Jones lost a fumble on the team’s opening drive and the Spartans had another turnover in the first half before breaking loose.

“We had a rough start and I had a rough start. We had two fumbles,” Jones said. “I just blocked it out of my mind and kept on going. The guys look up to me so I kept on playing like I usually do — 110 percent all the time.”

The results were positive for Laurel. Jones scored touchdowns on runs of 36, 2, 6, 15 and 79 yards. He racked up his huge final total on just 17 carries.

“That’s the line stepping up every week getting better and better. That’s what I am seeing,” Jones said. “They are helping me a lot.”

Jones, a senior, doesn’t look like a power back, but he’s not afraid to take on tacklers to pick up tough yardage.

“When I run the ball, I just try to read the defense. If the hole is there, I hit it. If it’s not there, I look for something else,” he said. “I just have to look for where I should go, but it’s kind of an instinct.”

While he’s capable of powering his way up the middle, Jones can head for the corner, turn on the jets and blow past defenders, too.

“It feels good. I remember when I was a sophomore, I was getting caught by all the older guys,” Jones said. “Now, I am running away from them. It’s a good feeling.”

Laurel coach Jerry Holzhauser knows that, when Jones has the ball, a play never is totally over until the whistle blows.

“We try to impress upon our linemen that every play could be a touchdown, so stay on your blocks and go to the whistle. The game can be won on any given play,” he said. “Dylan has great vision and great balance. You can see there’s times where he’s moved the pile — a lot of guys are trying to tackle him, but his strength has moved a lot of people for extra yards. And, his ability to maintain his balance after hits is pretty unusual for a kid his age.

“He’s a coach’s dream. He’s the kind of player who is here all the time, works hard and loves to play football. Anybody would like a Dylan Jones on their team.”

While Jones leads the way on the ground for the Spartans with 722 yards and 10 TDs, his leadership is evident all the time and he keeps the mood upbeat.

“He’s always positive. He does bring that humor to the game that you need out on a practice field all the time,” Holzhauser said. “Even during the games, he’s always upbeat and never negative. It’s a great part of his character that he has a positive attitude.”

Laurel (2-2 conference, 2-3 overall) has battled back from an 0-3 start to contend for a Midwestern Athletic Conference playoff berth.

“We’re just getting better every week. We had a real rough start, but every week, we’ve been getting better and better. We’re ready for anyone right now,” Jones said. “We just want to keep on going. We have to play a play at a time, a series at a time and a quarter at a time. We want to get in the playoffs and try to go as far as we can. This is my last year and I want to go out with a bang.”

*****

THE DYLAN JONES FILE

POSITION: Running back/Defensive back

TEAM: Laurel

GRADE: 12

KNOWN FOR: Jones had a terrific all-around game against Freedom. He rushed for 230 yards and five touchdowns in a 46-6 win. In addition, he intercepted two passes to set up two of the Spartans’ scores.

PARENTS: Bob and Sherry Jones

FAVORITE PRO PLAYER AND WHY: Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos. “I like him so much because of his faith in God. I go to church every Sunday and I always pray for the team and those who are injured. I think it really helps out spiritually.”

FAVORITE PRO TEAM AND WHY: Dallas Cowboys. “I liked them when I was little. They were real good with Troy Aikman and all those guys. They aren’t as good now, but they’re getting better.”

FUTURE PLANS: Jones said he wants to attend college and play football. “I hope to do as well as I can in football and academics. I want to keep my grades up. Hopefully, some school out there wants me. I will make it worthwhile. I love football. It doesn’t matter where I play.”
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