Amboy’s ‘Tank’ knew early that sideline was his destiny

"It took a little bit of getting used to, but we knew what to expect," junior Damon Quest said. "He brings that old-fashioned style that we like around here – that old-fashioned, suck-it-up attitude."

Jones took his pointers from those for whom he played. One buzz phrase in particular stuck with him.

"When I first got to college and walked onto the practice field," Jones leans back and remembers, "Coach [Leo Traister] came up to me and he goes, 'Jones, I'm not gonna tell you when you do a good job, because you're here to do it right. But I'll be the first one over your ass when you do it wrong.' "

But Jones admits he's backed off the throttle over the years.

"Oh, it's changed from 20 or 30 years ago, to what it is now," he said. "Kids are kids. They're never gonna really change. I think the parents have changed over the past years.

"Kids know where their place is – if they're first string, second string, third string – they know their role on the team. Sometimes, parents get that messed up a little bit."

Jones says each of his teams had its own personality. But when it comes to squads that accomplish great feats like the '84 title team, or the 2006 semifinal team for which his son, Alex, played, there's a common feature.

"All those kids got along, and they could correct one another," Jones said. "We've had some teams here where one kid might say, 'You know, you've gotta pick it up,' and hear, 'Why don't you just take care of yourself?' "

That's not just the case in Amboy.

"I don't care what school you go to," Jones said. "All great teams have that ... that thing where they get along like brothers. You can criticize one another, but don't somebody from the outside dare come in and criticize your teammates."

High school football

Class 2A quarterfinal

Mercer County (11-0) at Amboy (9-2)

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

Where: The Harbor, Amboy

Twitter: Follow Christopher Heimerman (@CHeimerman_SVM) for live updates

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