A-K Valley football Q&A with Springdale’s Josh Jones

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, September 27, 2017 | 5:51 PM

Don't look now, but the Springdale Dynamos just might have a passing attack their opponents will have no choice but to respect moving forward. Junior quarterback Josh Jones passed for three touchdowns during last Friday's 53-13 win over Class A Eastern Conference foe Leechburg.

“Josh is certainly getting confidence in himself, and I have he confidence in him to throw the ball on any down if we need it,” Springdale coach Seth Napierkowski said. “He puts a lot of work in, and he asks a lot of questions.”

The 6-foot, 190-pound Jones connected on touchdown passes of 64, 9 and 15 yards during the first quarter.

Jones finished 4 of 5 for 124 yards as the Dynamos raced out to a 26-0 first-quarter lead.

“This was his first year of consistent live action since middle school for him, having been behind Sammy (Carey),” Napierkowski said.

Jones has 356 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception.

Springdale's sudden outburst in the passing game hasn't changed the way the Dynamos will attack opposing defenses. Napierkowski said Springdale (2-3, 1-1) will be a run-first team, but the threat of a downfield passing attack will keep defenses honest.

“We're still a ground-and-pound team first,” Napierkowski said. “Its nice to have that option, and week-to-week we just take what the defense is giving us.”

Jones also starts at cornerback, where he has one interception and 15 tackles.

“I think down the stretch, we're going to see great things from him,” Napierkowski said.

When did you begin playing football?

Second or third grade. I started at the Allegheny Valley Youth Football Association. I lived in Florida for a few years and played down there.

What part of Florida?

The Tampa, Clearwater area. I came back up here in seventh grade, and I've been playing ever since.

Are you more of a quarterback or cornerback?

Personally, I love defense a little bit more. But right now, offense.

How much have you learned from coach Napierkowski, who played quarterback at Carnegie Mellon?

He's taught me so much, everything from my forms to my footwork. If he wasn't there to teach me, I wouldn't be doing what I did last Friday.

Is coach Napierkowski hard on you?

He's not rough on me. He's only rough on me when he knows that I can do better.

Would you consider last week's game a breakout game for you?

I would consider it.

What's one of your first memories of late Springdale coach Chuck Wagner?

I've seen him every once in a while. When coach told us he passed, he said if it wasn't for him there would be no Springdale football and that really hit me.

Has the Springdale football season taken on a whole new meaning with coach Wagner's recent passing?

Yeah. I definitely feel like that's going to encourage us to beat Riverview.

Where do the Dynamos need to improve the most to make a run at the postseason?

I just feel like we all need to work together. We just need to learn from our mistakes and not blame others.

What is the strength of this year's team?

I feel like our strength is our offense because Josh Harmon, Parker Kline, Scott Landis and Dylan Hargenrader. Those four are our strong suit right there.

Why do you wear No. 8?

I was given that number randomly and was like, “I'm going to stick with it.”

Who is your favorite football player?

I look up to Ben. Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown are my favorites.

What are your favorite college and NFL football teams?

Michigan and the Steelers.

What's your nickname?

Mostly everybody calls me “Jonesy.”

Who has the best nickname on the team?

Josh Harmon, we have a nickname for him, “Chicken Parm” Harm. He loves chicken parmesan.

William Whalen is a freelance writer.

Tags: Springdale