In an interview Friday airing now on Lompoc Locker Room—the TV Sbow, ANDREW JONES said he may return to Bologna of the Italian Football League in 2008 or he may hook on in the United States.
"Right now I’m just concentrating on getting my teaching credential and coaching at Lompoc High," said the onetime LHS, Hancock, and Upper Iowa quarterback. "We’ll just have to see what turns up." A hamstring strain makes a tryout this month for the new All-America Football League doubtful, he added, though a couple arena league teams have expressed interest in him.
The last 12 months for Jones have been a travelogue. After quarterbacking the Lompoc Braves to a CIF title in 2002, and appearing in the state JC championship game with Hancock two years later, he entered his senior year at Upper Iowa in 2006 vying with two competitors for the UI QB job.
Then new Offensive Coordinator Ben Morie entered the picture. "He came from Bemidji State. He brought a spread, wide-open offense. It was a fun offense to be in. He just gave me the marker. ‘If you don’t like the set, get out of it,' he told me. 'Get us in a better situation.’ Right away I got the hang of that and that’s what put me over the top above everybody else.
Jones was so successful he was named National Co-Offensive Player of the Week by D2.com when he threw for 464 yards and three touchdowns in defeating Wisconson-Stout. – "I actually didn’t start the game," Jones remembered. His shoulder had been bothering, but his replacement went down early. "I just went in there and got after it. They were playing man-to-man the whole time and they just never changed anything so I was going to my two main guys. They were just always open. Stout blitzed a lot, like on every other play but our offensive line held strong. Every play I was just going, ‘pass, pass, pass.’ I don’t know the last time I threw 65 passes in a game. I think I had something like 45-for-62 or something like that, more than one year at Lompoc."
For the season Jones connected at a 59% clip throwing for 2,215 yards and 12 touchdowns while rushing for 211 yards and 3 touchdowns. After the season he was named all-Northern Sun Conference Honorable Mention and to the NSAC All-Academic Team. Then came a surprise.
Over the Christmas break coach Morie phoned Jones to tell him about an opportunity in Italy. Soon coach Moe Ankney of the Bologna High-Tech Media Warriors called him. Jones sent film and Ankney handed over the quarterback job without a tryout. "They faxed me the contract, I signed it, I got a passport and I was in Italy March 1. "
Football in Italy is different, Jones found. "Football they don’t take as serious as soccer. You’re only allowed two Americans per team. The two Americans get paid. About 15 guys on the team didn’t get paid or anything. They were there because they love the game."
But they don’t know a whole lot about it, Jones found. "They don’t start playing football until they’re 15 years old so some of the players need help with fundamentals. Some of the guys didn’t know how to get into a stance. For me I also had to coach the offense. So it was quite an experience." Bologna made the playoffs but was eliminated in the first round.
Now an assistant to ROBIN LUKEN at LHS Jones is finding talent in the offensive backfield. "Daryl Aguilar and Richie Hirzel will be quarterbacks, running backs will be Little Alonzo and Masson Blow, Favi Vargas and two Moreharts. I don’t have all the names yet."
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Elsewhere DANNY DUFFY issued yet another stellar performance in the Arizona Rookie League Tuesday. He pitched five innings and allowed one earned run on two hits. He struck out a whopping nine and walked three. The run he gave up, just his second of the summer, came when the leadoff hitter for the AZL Brewers rapped a ground single to center, advanced on a wild pitch, stole third, and came home during a double play. With runners on first and third and no outs Duffy kept his head and induced that double play ball. Heady stuff. His nine K's equalled his best of the season.
It's fair to say that the lefthander's statistical totals have reached the "spectacular" mark. He has an ERA of 0.66. He has struck out 48 and walked 14, nearly a 4-1 ratio where 2-1 is considered good. He has given up just 16 hits in 27 innings where anything below a hit/inning is good. Best of all he has pitched 11 innings in his last two outings. They were his two longest performances of the summer, and, since he is limited to 60 pitches per outing, they indicate increased economy of effort. What more could the Royals want?
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In the major leagues RYAN CHURCH went 2-for-3 against the Phillies Tuesday night but the Nationals' bullpen gave up three runs in the eighth to lose the game. The Nats totalled only six hits and only Churchie had more than one. He is now batting .265.
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