Most freshmen are struggling to get on the field on the junior varsity team, but Cameron Jones, from Carson, only spent a couple games at that level before getting the call up, and starting at cornerback immediately.
The 5’8’, 140-pound Jones did not have any issues making the big leap, and he intercepted a pass in his very first varsity game, returning it for a touchdown. On the season he has eight tackles and three pass deflections.
Two things set Jones apart from most kids his age: his mental approach, and his training while away from his school. While other athletes may be bigger, stronger, faster, and even more talented, Jones has a unique ability to quickly analyze a situation, and react to it in the proper manner.
He possesses great abilities for a player his age.
Jones has trained with Andrew “AJ” Jackson in Carson, working on his speed, agility, footwork, and strength. Jackson has him hit the weights, with a focus on the lower body, and then has Jones perform agility drills to improve his quickness.
Jones was tested at the Nike combine, and he was in the top 10 for freshmen in the 40-yard dash, and he had the “best agility” drill time. The quickness, combined with his intelligence, has allowed him to excel.
Jones is not just intelligent on the field, but off of it as well, which is why he is attending Harvard-Westlake, which is one of the best academic high schools in the nation. His trip from Carson takes about 90 minutes, and some nights he does not get home until after 8 p.m. It is a grind for the freshman, but it is well worth the struggle. If football does not work out, he has a great education to fall back on.
Jones has dreams of playing college football, with Stanford, one of the top academic universities in the nation, being at the top of his list. At a university like that, an athlete first has to qualify academically, just like at Harvard-Westlake.
Whether it is football or academics, Jones is on the right track to make it to the college of his choice, and if he continues to play at a high level, the athletic scholarships will soon be rolling in.
Last week’s results
Crenshaw 41, Jefferson 18
Dorsey 35, Locke 6
Manual Arts 27, Fremont 6
Carson 64, Gardena 0
Narbonne 50, Washington 0
San Pedro 28, Wilmington Banning 14
Fairfax 28, Westchester 3
Hamilton 19, Los Angeles University 16
Venice 31, Palisades 28
Bell 41, Jordan 0
Los Angeles 21, Hawkins 8
Rancho Dominguez 34, Rivera 8
West Adams 25, Santee 7
St. Francis 52, Cathedral 41
Palos Verdes 37, Inglewood 12
Redondo 41, Morningside 0
El Segundo 41, Culver City 0
Hawthorne 40, Beverly Hills 30
Lawndale 20, Santa Monica 19
South Torrance 36, Centennial 28
Torrance 37, Leuzinger 14
Dominguez 47, Lynwood 7
Agoura 48, Verbum Dei 21
