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Brunswick High School Football

From the Frederick News Post October 29. 2015:

Athletic senior Jones has eight kickoff return TDs for Brunswick Roaders' lone threat is a lethal one by Greg Swatek

BRUNSWICK — As the ball flutters through the air in his general direction, Erik Jones already knows which way he is going. Before, it used to be so simple for Jones, the dynamic kick returner for Brunswick High’s football team. As he described it, all he would have to do is catch the kick, run right up the middle of former coach Patt Foster’s double-wedge blocking scheme, make one move and he’d be off to the end zone. Now, it is much more complex. The blocking scheme has changed under new coach Chris Banks. Jones is no longer the only Brunswick player stationed deep to field the kicks. And then there is the pesky little matter that teams generally refuse to kick to him any longer. “Usually when I get the ball, they kick it in the corner and make me go get it,” Jones said. “[By then] they already have two people down there [to make the tackle].” Last Friday’s game against Walkersville represented one of the rare chances Jones has had to field some kicks all season, and he made the Lions pay for it. Following a 45-yard kickoff return earlier in the game, Walkersville — much to Jones’ surprise — decided to kick it to him again, and he bolted over the right side for an 84-yard touchdown. That marked the eighth touchdown return of Jones’ high-school career. He had two as a sophomore and an eye-popping five as a junior last season. According to the National Federation of State High School Association’s website, the record for career touchdowns on kickoff returns is nine, set in the mid-1990s by Trevor Mote of Kingman High in Arizona. Jones still has two games, starting with Friday’s game at Allegany, to equal or surpass that mark. “He’s just so damn athletic,” Banks said of the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Jones, who also caught a short pass and turned it into a 44-yard scoring play in the third quarter of the Walkersville game. “He’s a kid that can do a lot things that a lot of people can’t do. He’s got speed. He’s got hands. He’s a shifty player. I mean, he’s got all of the tools.” Jones also has the vision to see things develop before they actually happen, such as a running lane opening up on one of his returns. That’s a natural gift he’s only improved over time. Prior to even making the catch, Jones knows whether he is headed toward the right side or the left on his return. The blocking is set up for him to go one way or the other. Most of his touchdown returns have gone to the right. “Just something with that side,” he said. The one thing Jones wants to remain constant is his forward motion. Even if there are potential tacklers in his path, he will attempt to push past them or run through them. He’s even been known to use a swim move to get around a defender. Too many returners waste time and energy running sideline to sideline and trying to get around potential tacklers, Jones said. “You can’t stop and stutter,” he said. “As soon as you get the ball, all you have to do is go full speed ahead.” Jones has always had decent speed. But, after his freshman season, Foster suggested he run for Brunswick’s track team. Before long, Jones’ time in the 100-meter dash dropped from 11.7 seconds to 11.1, making him all the more dangerous on kickoff returns. “He can make something out of nothing. That’s just the type of kid he is,” Banks said. “He doesn’t have a lot of great blockers.” This season, Jones has been one of the bright spots for Brunswick (0-8), which is in danger of posting the first winless season in school history. During the second quarter of a Sept. 25 loss at Frederick High, Jones was swung down in the backfield on a rushing attempt. His head bounced off the ground, and he came out of the game, eventually leaving the stadium in an ambulance. He was later diagnosed with a concussion, which caused him to miss the Railroaders’ next two games, both blowout losses. Without one of his best players on the field, Banks felt the air come out of his team. Players were essentially looking around and asking, “What are we going to do now [without Jones]?,” according to Banks.