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8/27/2007, 05:04 PM
http://www.abqjournal.com/sports/preps/589415preps08-26-07.htm
Sunday, August 26, 2007
FOOTBALL Artesia QB Stirs Memories
By Will Webber
Journal Staff Writer
ARTESIA— Exactly when and where Landry Jones started having his name etched alongside the state's all-time great high school quarterbacks isn't exactly known.
It could trace back to the late-'80s when Artesia High hired Cooper Henderson away from Ruidoso. The coach's new neighbors happened to be the Joneses.
"Known him since he was about this high," Henderson said, bending over to swipe a spot below his knee.
It may be Jones' first play as a varsity quarterback. It was his sophomore year and the opponent was Lovington.
"The snap went right over his head," said former teammate Kirby Wheeler. "He picked it up and threw about 50 yards for a touchdown."
Or it could have come at any point during his junior year when he grew into a 6-foot-4, 225-pound monster— he has since grown an inch and lost 7 pounds. He passed for 3,432 yards and 45 touchdowns while leading the Bulldogs to a 13-0 mark and the program's 25th state title.
He was the first underclassman to start as Artesia's QB in nearly a decade. He quickly became the focus of a national recruiting war that ended early when he offered a verbal commitment to Oklahoma in March.
"He's the best quarterback I've ever played against, but that's just me and it's probably because of that one game," said Nels Webber, a recent graduate of Los Alamos High.
That one game was a Class 4A semifinal Nov. 25 in Los Alamos. Webber, a 6-3, 210-pound defensive lineman, made a beeline for Jones' blind side at the snap.
"I dropped my shoulder into him and hit him as hard as I could," Webber said. "Next thing I know, I'm on the ground and he's still on his feet throwing a bomb for a touchdown. The guy's a tank and he's slippery, too. People don't realize how athletic he is."
"I heard about that play," said Roswell coach Barey Chambers. "And it doesn't surprise me a bit. He's done that plenty to everyone."
Observers have said Jones is the best QB New Mexico has seen since Jim Everett led Eldorado to the 1980 title. Jones is certainly the most hotly recruited quarterback since Bobby Newcombe suited up for Highland and then Nebraska a decade ago.
"Everett's the best I've seen and Newcombe is one of the fastest, but from what I understand this kid's pretty good," said Clovis coach Eric Roanhaus, whose Wildcats play at Artesia on Oct. 19.
Coaches and high school historians were asked recently to list the best quarterbacks of all time. Names like Carlsbad's Sam Etcheverry, Raton's Noel Mazzone, Santa Fe's Stan Quintana, Clovis' Joe Newton, Gallup's Billy Rucker and Highland brothers Terry and Dean Stone were some of those mentioned.
Toss in any number of Artesia quarterbacks to that list, starting with Scott Runyan and continuing through Kole McKamey.
Etcheverry played two seasons in the NFL with the St. Louis Cardinals and spent time in the Canadian Football League. Mazzone started at UNM and is now an assistant coach with the New York Jets.
Newton became a defensive back in college, and Quintana, Rucker and Terry Stone all played for the Lobos. Dean Stone was a DB at Miami.
Runyan was the first in a line of recent college QBs to come out of Artesia. He was recruited to Wyoming and ranks seventh on the Cowboys' all-time passing list.
For the most part, however, those asked agreed that comparing QBs of yesteryear to those of today is like comparing apples to oranges.
"The game has changed, especially the offenses," said former Eldorado coach David Williams. "Not many teams threw the ball in the '50s, '60s and '70s like they do now."
"And offseason conditioning is different," added former referee and current radio play-by-play man Al Garcia. "Used to be, kids didn't play football until the first day of practice."
Everett agrees. Now the CEO of his own financial consulting firm in southern California, he said the best way to gauge players across the years is by assessing the ol' brain bucket.
"I think a true winner has to have that internal drive to see themselves succeeding," said the 12-year NFL veteran. "I think you reach a point where you ask yourself if you have what it takes. If your answer is 'yes' and you truly believe it, the sky's the limit. Maybe this kid has it."
Newcombe said being the best can't be a one-man show.
"A measure of success for any young person can be seen in the people he has around him," said Newcombe, 28, now a resident of Gilbert, Ariz., and a recent recipient of his Ph.D. "I was lucky to have coaches like Judge Chavez and Gary Sanchez. They were people of character who took a genuine interest and had devotion to players like me."
Newcombe still owns the state record in the 100-meter dash at 10.50 seconds.
As for Everett, his metamorphasis from backup to star began in the summer of 1980 when then-BYU assistant coach Joe Scobel taught him something Henderson instilled in Jones a long time ago.
"Triangle reads," Everett said. "Scobel really opened my eyes to reading defenses. I could throw the ball through a barn but I learned it doesn't always take a strong arm to be a good quarterback."
Jones would seem to have all the tools to be just as good. He is almost the exact height and weight Everett was as a senior.
While Jones claims ignorance to how far he can throw a ball, his aw-shucks attitude can't hide the huge hands that make the pigskin look more like a Nerf ball.
In Artesia's pass-happy scheme— one that has produced five Division I quarterbacks since the mid-1980s— Jones' most potent weapon is his ability to put the ball on the money. He completed 70 percent of his passes as a junior, throwing only nine interceptions in 310 passes.
"He makes our job a lot easier," said Bulldogs wideout Derek Montoya, a junior. "You can make a mistake on your route and he still gets the ball exactly where you want it."
"People ask what it takes to be the quarterback at Artesia High School, and the answer is leadership," said Henderson. "Landry is a leader on and off the field. He puts in the work and motivates his teammates by the example he sets."
"I just try to work hard every day, getting a little better wherever I can," Jones said.
Rated as a four-star recruit by most scouting services, he is listed as one of the top 30 QBs in this year's senior class. He said he was drawn to OU for several reasons.
First, he has a grandmother who lives in Granite, Okla., not far from the Sooners' campus in Norman. Second, he bonded well with Oklahoma quarterbacks coach Josh Heupel, the same QB who led OU to the 2000 national championship.
Finally, Jones said he feels he can compete for the starting job right away.
In fact, he'll steal a page out of the OU handbook and arrive in Norman sooner rather than later. He is scheduled to graduate in December and start his freshman semester a month later. He has his eyes set firmly on the starting job for the 2008 opener.
"That's the idea," Jones said. "I want to get in there and play, do what I can to help the team."
One might think Jones' commitment to the Sooners might have wavered when the program was slapped with probation earlier this summer, but one look at the QB's license plate says otherwise. Bolted to the front bumper of his jacked-up Ford F-250 is a white plate with the familiar OU logo.
"No, never," Jones said when asked if he ever considered giving other schools a second look. "I want to be a Sooner. I'm focused on getting there and getting started."
Sunday, August 26, 2007
FOOTBALL Artesia QB Stirs Memories
By Will Webber
Journal Staff Writer
ARTESIA— Exactly when and where Landry Jones started having his name etched alongside the state's all-time great high school quarterbacks isn't exactly known.
It could trace back to the late-'80s when Artesia High hired Cooper Henderson away from Ruidoso. The coach's new neighbors happened to be the Joneses.
"Known him since he was about this high," Henderson said, bending over to swipe a spot below his knee.
It may be Jones' first play as a varsity quarterback. It was his sophomore year and the opponent was Lovington.
"The snap went right over his head," said former teammate Kirby Wheeler. "He picked it up and threw about 50 yards for a touchdown."
Or it could have come at any point during his junior year when he grew into a 6-foot-4, 225-pound monster— he has since grown an inch and lost 7 pounds. He passed for 3,432 yards and 45 touchdowns while leading the Bulldogs to a 13-0 mark and the program's 25th state title.
He was the first underclassman to start as Artesia's QB in nearly a decade. He quickly became the focus of a national recruiting war that ended early when he offered a verbal commitment to Oklahoma in March.
"He's the best quarterback I've ever played against, but that's just me and it's probably because of that one game," said Nels Webber, a recent graduate of Los Alamos High.
That one game was a Class 4A semifinal Nov. 25 in Los Alamos. Webber, a 6-3, 210-pound defensive lineman, made a beeline for Jones' blind side at the snap.
"I dropped my shoulder into him and hit him as hard as I could," Webber said. "Next thing I know, I'm on the ground and he's still on his feet throwing a bomb for a touchdown. The guy's a tank and he's slippery, too. People don't realize how athletic he is."
"I heard about that play," said Roswell coach Barey Chambers. "And it doesn't surprise me a bit. He's done that plenty to everyone."
Observers have said Jones is the best QB New Mexico has seen since Jim Everett led Eldorado to the 1980 title. Jones is certainly the most hotly recruited quarterback since Bobby Newcombe suited up for Highland and then Nebraska a decade ago.
"Everett's the best I've seen and Newcombe is one of the fastest, but from what I understand this kid's pretty good," said Clovis coach Eric Roanhaus, whose Wildcats play at Artesia on Oct. 19.
Coaches and high school historians were asked recently to list the best quarterbacks of all time. Names like Carlsbad's Sam Etcheverry, Raton's Noel Mazzone, Santa Fe's Stan Quintana, Clovis' Joe Newton, Gallup's Billy Rucker and Highland brothers Terry and Dean Stone were some of those mentioned.
Toss in any number of Artesia quarterbacks to that list, starting with Scott Runyan and continuing through Kole McKamey.
Etcheverry played two seasons in the NFL with the St. Louis Cardinals and spent time in the Canadian Football League. Mazzone started at UNM and is now an assistant coach with the New York Jets.
Newton became a defensive back in college, and Quintana, Rucker and Terry Stone all played for the Lobos. Dean Stone was a DB at Miami.
Runyan was the first in a line of recent college QBs to come out of Artesia. He was recruited to Wyoming and ranks seventh on the Cowboys' all-time passing list.
For the most part, however, those asked agreed that comparing QBs of yesteryear to those of today is like comparing apples to oranges.
"The game has changed, especially the offenses," said former Eldorado coach David Williams. "Not many teams threw the ball in the '50s, '60s and '70s like they do now."
"And offseason conditioning is different," added former referee and current radio play-by-play man Al Garcia. "Used to be, kids didn't play football until the first day of practice."
Everett agrees. Now the CEO of his own financial consulting firm in southern California, he said the best way to gauge players across the years is by assessing the ol' brain bucket.
"I think a true winner has to have that internal drive to see themselves succeeding," said the 12-year NFL veteran. "I think you reach a point where you ask yourself if you have what it takes. If your answer is 'yes' and you truly believe it, the sky's the limit. Maybe this kid has it."
Newcombe said being the best can't be a one-man show.
"A measure of success for any young person can be seen in the people he has around him," said Newcombe, 28, now a resident of Gilbert, Ariz., and a recent recipient of his Ph.D. "I was lucky to have coaches like Judge Chavez and Gary Sanchez. They were people of character who took a genuine interest and had devotion to players like me."
Newcombe still owns the state record in the 100-meter dash at 10.50 seconds.
As for Everett, his metamorphasis from backup to star began in the summer of 1980 when then-BYU assistant coach Joe Scobel taught him something Henderson instilled in Jones a long time ago.
"Triangle reads," Everett said. "Scobel really opened my eyes to reading defenses. I could throw the ball through a barn but I learned it doesn't always take a strong arm to be a good quarterback."
Jones would seem to have all the tools to be just as good. He is almost the exact height and weight Everett was as a senior.
While Jones claims ignorance to how far he can throw a ball, his aw-shucks attitude can't hide the huge hands that make the pigskin look more like a Nerf ball.
In Artesia's pass-happy scheme— one that has produced five Division I quarterbacks since the mid-1980s— Jones' most potent weapon is his ability to put the ball on the money. He completed 70 percent of his passes as a junior, throwing only nine interceptions in 310 passes.
"He makes our job a lot easier," said Bulldogs wideout Derek Montoya, a junior. "You can make a mistake on your route and he still gets the ball exactly where you want it."
"People ask what it takes to be the quarterback at Artesia High School, and the answer is leadership," said Henderson. "Landry is a leader on and off the field. He puts in the work and motivates his teammates by the example he sets."
"I just try to work hard every day, getting a little better wherever I can," Jones said.
Rated as a four-star recruit by most scouting services, he is listed as one of the top 30 QBs in this year's senior class. He said he was drawn to OU for several reasons.
First, he has a grandmother who lives in Granite, Okla., not far from the Sooners' campus in Norman. Second, he bonded well with Oklahoma quarterbacks coach Josh Heupel, the same QB who led OU to the 2000 national championship.
Finally, Jones said he feels he can compete for the starting job right away.
In fact, he'll steal a page out of the OU handbook and arrive in Norman sooner rather than later. He is scheduled to graduate in December and start his freshman semester a month later. He has his eyes set firmly on the starting job for the 2008 opener.
"That's the idea," Jones said. "I want to get in there and play, do what I can to help the team."
One might think Jones' commitment to the Sooners might have wavered when the program was slapped with probation earlier this summer, but one look at the QB's license plate says otherwise. Bolted to the front bumper of his jacked-up Ford F-250 is a white plate with the familiar OU logo.
"No, never," Jones said when asked if he ever considered giving other schools a second look. "I want to be a Sooner. I'm focused on getting there and getting started."