EGELSTON TOWNSHIP – If there were any doubts about Trevor Jones’ ability to carry on the great running back tradition at Oakridge, they were buried over the past two weeks.
The junior has heated up as the games have gone by, and he appears to be in peak form at midseason.
Jones rushed for 65 yards in the season opener against Sparta, 94 yards in Week 2 against Muskegon Catholic, and a very nice 143 yards in Week 3 against Manistee.
The really big numbers started coming in Week 4 against Ludington, when Jones totaled 228 yards on the ground and scored twice.
[1]Then last Friday against Fremont he piled up 214 rushing yards, 51 receiving yards and scored four touchdowns in a 36-18 victory, which gave Oakridge a perfect 5-0 record heading into a conference showdown this Friday against unbeaten Whitehall.
He currently has 750 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 104 attempts this season.
“We’re extremely impressed,” said Oakridge head coach Cary Harger about the season Jones has had so far. “He has been a gamer. When he’s called upon, he can really make things happen.”
Jones works very hard to make thing happen, in the tradition of his immediate predecessors at the running back position – Oakridge All-Staters Corey Vanderputte and LeRoy Quinn.
“It’s pretty cool,” Jones said about being the guy who inherited the historic position. “I just want to continue carrying on the tradition of good running backs. It’s important to keep it going.”
[2]Last fall, when he was a sophomore backing up Vanderputte, Jones gave everyone a hint on what they could expect by rushing for 163 yards and three touchdowns on just eight carries against Tri County in a Division 5 district championship game.
“It was a pretty good night to remember,” said Jones about the breakout performance. “It was the first game in which I really did a lot of things. It really made me want to do more and more to just help the team.”
There’s obviously a lot of pressure on Jones to perform the way his predecessors did, but if he feels it, the coaches haven’t noticed.
“I don’t think he has,” Harger said, when asked if he thinks Jones feels pressured by expectations. “I think he’s looked forward to being the main man at running back. He’s looked forward to it and it’s been his motivation in the weight room to get stronger. He’s really looked forward to the challenge and embraced it.”
If anything, Jones relishes the chance to put the things he learned from Vanderputte to good use this season.
[3]“I talked to Corey a lot last year,” he said. “He really gave me some tips about running. He really helped me work on my vision and everything else.”
Harger said Jones has made himself a more dangerous running back this year by putting on a little more bulk.
“He’s not necessarily going to run anyone over, but if they happen to be there, he’s not afraid to lower his pads so he can continue on his way,” the coach said. “He is very elusive in terms of defending himself against getting tackled. He’s a very strong runner. He’s really changed his running style by getting stronger.”
Both Jones and Harger give a lot of credit to the Eagles’ offensive line for doing all the heavy work to make the running game a success.
“I couldn’t do it without my line and receivers blocking,” Jones said. “Everyone has really come together, which allows me to have success.”
[4]“I’ve been very impressed so far,” Harger added about the O-line. “Especially at times when we’ve played with two sophomores up there. They’ve done a nice job and they’ve developed some continuity up there. We’ve put in some new little schemes and twists while making sure they’re picking up defensive looks. We work on it every day and they’ve been getting more confident in their abilities.”
Jones and the Eagles will have their hands full on Friday against a Whitehall squad that’s been blowing opponents off the field all season.
The Eagles have won the matchup three out of the past five years, including a 32-19 victory last season.
“It means a lot,” said Jones about the pending clash of the unbeaten teams. “They’re one of our biggest rivals. We won last year and if we win this year, it’ll be a big thing. It’ll be a really big thing.”
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