Riverside grad hoping his name is called

Dec. 13 was a really good day for Marc Jones.

Dec. 14 has the potential to be one of the best days ever for the Riverside graduate.

Jones, a record-setting running back at Gannon, was named Division II first-team All-America by the Associated Press on Dec. 13.

It’s the second All-America honor for Jones, who was named to the American Football Coaches Association’s first team a week ago.

That honor could be just a warm-up for Jones, who is one of 10 finalists for the Harlon Hill Trophy, given to the nation’s top player in Division II. The award will be announced Dec. 14 in a webcast.

Jones is home in Painesville on Christmas break and plans to watch the webcast with family and friends, who are telling Jones he has a great chance at winning the award.

“I think (they) like my chances more than I do,” said Jones.

His stats might be enough. In 11 games, Jones rushed for 2,176 yards and scored 31 total touchdowns. His rushing totals are No. 1 in the nation for all divisions.

He also had 2,464 allpurpose yards and scored 186 points. He averaged 8.09 yards per attempt, and his 197.8 rushing yard average is another stat that leads all of college football.

Jones’ top single-game performances this season were 354 rushing yards against Slippery Rock and six touchdowns vs. Edinboro. Both marks are Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference records. He was also named the PSAC’s Western Division Offensive Player of the Year.

What could hurt Jones is that Gannon had a losing record this season at 5-6. However, there is precedent in Jones’ favor in regard to a team not having a dominating record. In 2009, former NFL running back Joique Bell won the award in playing for 6-5 Wayne State. Bell’s stats from 2009 are similar to Jones. Bell rushed for 2,084 yards and 29 touchdowns.

That prompted Jones to reach out to Bell last week and the former Lions running back answered back.

“We talked a little about our situations,” said Jones. “It was good talking to him.”

Even after that phone call, Jones is keeping a levelheaded approach. Especially because the announcement was moved up a day from its original Dec. 15 date. The reason is one of the finalists, quarterback Luis Perez, is playing in a D-II national semifinal for Texas A&M University-Commerce on Dec. 16. Perez is the nation’s top passer in D-II with 3,737 yards and 38 touchdowns.

“Oh yeah, 100 percent,” said Jones when asked if playing on a team with a losing record could hurt his chances. “But sometimes stats do overpower that.”

Still, Jones is holding out hope.

“It would be a great day,” said Jones about the possibility of winning. “It would be incredible. Just to put my name out there, my family’s name, the university, my teammates ... It would be a big deal. I’m hoping I win. If I don’t, I’m still coming back next year.”

As for earning All-America honors, Jones, who will be a senior next fall, joins fellow Riverside grad Anthony Bilal, who was named a D-II first-team All-American by the AP in 2014 while at Lake Erie College. That season, Bilal rushed for 2,091 yards and 29 TDs. He was also a Harlon Hill finalist in 2014, and finished third in the voting.

Jones and Bilal are close friends.

“Anthony would always say, ‘BIA,’ ... Best in America when we worked out,” said Jones. “It was one of those surreal moments where that came true as far as being an All-American.”