Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 20, 1995 TAG: 9507200038
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Jones said earlier this week that he already has received Division I-A scholarship offers from Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Clemson, South Carolina and Duke.
That's rare for a Group A player, but the rising senior established himself as a rare breed last year, when he rushed for 3,314 yards and scored 44 touchdowns in 14 games. He had 1,010 rushing yards in four playoff games.
Jones, a 5-foot-11, 190-pounder, had 22 carries for 462 yards against J.I. Burton to break the state record set by his uncle, Ed Clark, also against J.I. Burton. Clark, known as the ``Stonega Stallion'' when he played at Appalachia, died in a drowning accident in 1986.
``I was still pretty young when he died,'' said Jones, whose mother is Clark's sister, ``but I've seen tapes of him running.''
Jones, who won't turn 17 until Aug.19, has been timed in 4.4 seconds for 40 yards. He was an all-region choice in basketball, averaging 19.3 points, and placed in the Group A meet in the triple jump and 110- and 300-meter hurdles.
On top of that, Jones is a respectable student, with more than a 3.0 grade average and an 850 on his first attempt at the Scholastic Assessment Test. If his grade-point average remains at that level, he will meet NCAA entrance requirements under the new sliding scale.
Jones' father, Thomas, has worked at the University of Tennessee since 1989 as an academic counselor. For that reason, many think that the Volunteers have the inside track with his son.
``I've been to a lot of games down there,'' the younger Jones said. ``I've been going down to Tennessee for as long as my father has. I like Tennessee a lot, but I also know a lot more about Tennessee than I do the other schools. I'm going into this with an open mind.''
If he is not the top prospect in the state, Jones, the Group A player of the year in 1994, at least ranks among the top five. The most recent Group A players to be named to the Roanoke Times Top 5 were Sussex Central linebacker Reggie Givens in 1988 and Clintwood lineman Jerry Mooney in 1975.
LEAVING STATE: Defensive lineman Brent Mueller, one of the top college football prospects in Northern Virginia, does not have Virginia or Virginia Tech on a preliminary list of 10 or 15 schools he is considering.
``I wasn't real impressed with Virginia,'' said Mueller, a 6-31/2, 250-pound defensive end from Robinson High School in Fairfax. ``I went down there [on an unofficial visit] and the coaching staff was kind of cocky. It turned me off when one of the coaches said, `I made Chris Slade.'''
Mueller's reason for not considering the Hokies was a little more vague: David Van Dyke, an ex-teammate who signed with Penn State, told him he hadn't been impressed on an unofficial visit.
Mueller said he has been received scholarship offers from Tech, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Maryland, N.C. State, Tennessee, Washington, Syracuse and Michigan State.
RECRUITING: North Carolina State has added a basketball recruit, 6-foot-1 guard Ivan Wagner from Roosevelt High in San Antonio whose decision came after the end of the spring signing period.
The Wolfpack signed only one player, 6-5 Danny Strong, but will have three other scholarship players who didn't play last year: Wagner, transfer Steve Norton from Furman and former starter Curtis Marshall, redshirted due to injury. A fifth player, Al Pinkins, gained an extra year after he was injured after two minutes in the only game he played.
TERPS NOT DESPERATE: In the absence of All-America hopeful Scott Milanovich, Maryland's probable quarterback is sophomore Brian Cummings, who did not attempt a pass last year and played mostly in short-yardage situations when Maryland ran the Wishbone.
Cummings missed spring football practice while playing for the Terps' baseball team, but he has a strong arm - as evidenced by a 90-mph fastball - and was recruited as a run-and-shoot quarterback despite his relatively short stature (5-11).
Milanovich reportedly was suspended by the NCAA for eight games for betting on college sports, a penalty that since has been cut in half. Maryland's only other scholarship quarterbacks are Cummings and true freshmen Ken Mastrole and Trey Evans.
ARENA COURTED: The new Major League Soccer franchise in Washington, D.C., has expressed interest in Bruce Arena, who has coached Virginia to four straight Division I championships.
The new league does not begin play until spring, so Arena definitely will coach at UVa in the fall. It reportedly would take a guaranteed three-year contract, at $200,00 per year, to lure him to the pros.
LOCAL UPDATE: Neal Swanson, a former Glenvar High defensive back who has spent the past four years in the military, is among a group of football newcomers at Hampden-Sydney that includes William Bundy, John Goodwin and Alexander Kelly of North Cross, and Patrick Henry's Braxton Naff and Monty Smith.
by CNB