Friday, October 16, 2009

Although he is in just his second year as Key West's full-time starter, senior quarterback Stephen Jones is already finding himself in rare company in Conch football history.

Jones is currently on pace to break the school records for single-season and career passing yards, and with a big game tonight against visiting South Dade, he could shatter both along with the single-game mark.

The hard-throwing righty, who spent this past offseason at quarterback camps working on his game, is just 81 yards away from breaking the career record of 1,838 yards, set by former Conchs coach Robert James from 1971-73, and he needs just 210 to top the single-season mark of 1,014 set by current Key West assistant baseball coach Joey Gandolfo in the 1984 campaign. The single-game record of 265 yards is also currently held by Gandolfo, also set in 1984.

"I'm aware of it, but I haven't been paying too much attention to it because I don't want to mess up my mindset or anything like that," Jones said of the records. "Coach and everybody else keeps telling me, 'Let the records come to you. Don't chase the records.'"

Jones, who has 804 passing yards this year to go along with six touchdowns, said he talked with Gandolfo last week about the possibility and the elder Conch gave him his support. Jones said he spoke with James last Friday before Key West's game against Booker T. Washington.

"He said if you're going to say it, you better do it," Jones said of James. "Otherwise it's just going to be another old signature in the record book like it always has been."

Jones credits much of his improved play this season to his offseason workload. In addition to attending an Under Armour camp with other prep players at the Miami Dolphins' training facility, he travelled to Louisiana during the summer to attend the Manning Passing Academy, a quarterbacks camp put on by Super Bowl winners Peyton and Eli Manning that also featured several top college quarterbacks as instructors.

"This year I've been passing a lot better because I went to the Manning camp and I got my footwork down," Jones said. "I got more timing on the routes and everything and my linemen have been doing a lot better. If (the records) come, they come. But if not, I guess I'll have to wait."

While the marks would be nice, Jones said the bigger goal ahead is for his team to reach the postseason for the first time since 2004. The record books are more for reflection.

"Since I've been a freshman, I've always looked at it," he said of the list of records. "Everybody wants to be in the record book. Even if it's just to tell your kids or grandkids, 'Back when I was in high school, look at what your father did.'"

As for getting it out of the way tonight, Jones said that won't be his focus.

"I'm just going to go out and play my game and make sure the offense puts up points," he said. "After the game, if I break it, I'll celebrate then. But until I break it, it's just something in front of me that I'm not trying to chase."

Assistant Sports Editor Willis Jacobson's column appears exclusively each Friday in The Citizen. He can be reached at 305-292-7777, Ext. 223, or at wjacobson@keysnews.com.