October 11, 2001 12:27 AM
Jones piling up big numbers for RI
By Marc Nesseler, sports editor Mo knows touchdowns.
In fact, after Friday night, he'll quite likely know them in record Western Big 6
numbers and at a record Big 6 pace. In both instances, he'll be surpassing records set by
the running back considered the best-ever in the conference.
With two TDs Friday against Quincy at Almquist Field in the final Big 6 game of the
season, Maurice ``Mo'' Jones of Rock Island will break the scoring record of 80 points set
by Alonzo Wise with the Rocks in 1997. Jones also goes into that game with a TD every 3.9
times he touches the ball. The highest TD frequency in two decades of record keeping is
5.7, also by Wise in that year that ended in a state runner-up finish.
``Even when the field conditions aren't good, he's still fast,'' Rock Island coach Vic
Boblett said after Jones added a pair of TDs to his total last Friday in a 24-0 win over
Alleman.
To go with those scores, Jones earned this week's Pacesetter honor from The Dispatch
and The Rock Island Argus with a second straight week of over 200 yards rushing. Against
the Pioneers, he brought his season rushing total to 1,047 with a season-high game total
of 222.
``It feels the same as last year, yet it also seems a lot different,'' said Jones, a
senior.
He's again the Rocks' touchdown machine. In 2000, he finished with eight TDs in the Big
6, and scored every 7.6 times he touched the ball (60 carries, one pass reception). He led
the Rocks to a perfect conference season and an 8-1 regular season. This year, he has 12
TDs on 45 rushes and two catches. And he's eager to turn that 8-1 into a 9-0, with an eye
also on the regular-season finale at Chicago St. Viator.
``To get to the outside (which sets up his quick dashes to the end zone), I depend a
lot on my teammates. Without them, I wouldn't be able to do what I do,'' said Jones.
``Keenan Wright (the Rocks' fullback) throws a beautiful kickout block. And so does Ricky
O'Conner,'' who has earned the fullback start the past two games.
Jones' bursts on pitches also make for a profitable up-the-middle game, as well as an
efficient passing attack.
``His speed does what a lot of passing games do -- it forces teams to defend the field
from sideline to sideline,'' Boblett said. ``If they don't, he'll make them pay.''
Jones would have to have 22 carries against Quincy without a touchdown to lose his grip
on the TD frequency record in the Big 6. That's not likely, since Quincy has given up the
most points and second most rushing yards in the WB6.
Teams also never know when that game-breaking touchdown's going to come. Against
Alleman, his second score came with just :03 left in the half, from 67 yards out.
``That was the biggest touchdown I've ever had,'' Jones said. ``We needed that a lot. I
still don't know how it happened.'' Jones took a pitch left and broke up the middle.
Shedding a trio of tackles, he then turned on the afterburners for a runaway TD to pad
what was just a 7-0 lead.
It was a run that sent Jones over the 1,000-yard mark for the season.
Still, though Jones is closing in on Wise's scoring record, he'd have to have an even
bigger rushing night vs. Quincy to break the Big 6 ground-gain record. Jones is 352 yards
from Wise's record of 1,000 in Big 6 games.
Another of Wise's records that could be breakable, however, is his single-season mark
of 2,000, but it would take the team success that the Rocks enjoyed in Wise's last year to
accomplish it. Jones would need 953 yards until the Rocks put away their gear to match
that. Playing seven more games, and getting to a state championship game as Wise did,
would go a long way to trying to achieving that.
Copyright 2001, Moline Dispatch
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