Jones’ switch pays off
New CBA QB earns award with big game in playoff win
Donald Jones has spent the bulk of his sophomore season with the Christian Brothers Academy football team being a two-way standout for the Brothers. To make his biggest impact yet, Jones was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time at quarterback this season in the Section II Class AA semifinals vs. Guilderland.
Jones made his presence felt in a variety of ways against the Dutchmen, tossing a 35-yard touchdown pass to Jesse Goebel, running the ball 37 times for 167 yards and one touchdown, and playing a key role at defensive back in limiting Guilderland’s offense to 54 yards in a 20-7 victory.
“I am up for a challenge. It presented itself and I did what I had to do,” Jones said.
“I think in order for us to blossom into the team we can be, he had to be the guy,” CBA coach Bobby Burns said regarding the sophomore’s shift to starting quarterback.
For his efforts, Jones has been selected as the Times Union’s Boys’ Athlete of the Week for the period Nov. 1-7.
Jones had seen considerable time backing up Jack Gregory, rushing for 789 yards and 11 touchdowns prior to last week’s start.
“I am definitely getting more comfortable under center and throwing the ball,” Jones said.
Jones, the younger brother of former
CBA quarterback/defensive back Max Jones (who plays at Harvard), is thrilled to be competing in the Super Bowl on Friday against Shenendehowa. The sophomore knows he did well last week, but he believes there is plenty of room for improvement for himself and the offense.
“The game went well. We did a lot of good things, but also some bad things,” Jones said. “We could have scored more on offense on drives when we were in the red zone.”
“He’s an interesting cat. He wants to win so bad,” Burns said. “I didn’t know how many carries he had. We were in the fourth quarter looking to get the two-score lead. I asked him if he was OK and he said, ‘I feel great. Give me the ball.’ He’s such a competitor.”