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Judges look to continue improvement under Jones

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VaPreps Honorable Mention
Sep 2, 2003
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Judges look to continue improvement under Jones
  • By WALT MOODY The Winchester Star

  • 5b7cc483593e2.image.jpg
Malachi Imoh is Handley's leading returning rusher with 577 yards on 100 carries and six touchdowns. Imoh, who also played at the wildcat position on offense, completed 18 of 31 passes for 274 yards and a touchdown.Winchester Star file photo

WINCHESTER — Dan Jones says nothing feels that much different from his previous 23 seasons with the Handley football program.

He’s doing the same things he did last fall along with some of the same assistant coaches, including veteran assistant Jim Gaynor.

This time Jones is leading the Judges as head coach. He takes over a program that went 6-14 under John Davis, who is now the head coach at the Newport News Apprentice School.


“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Jones, two weeks into practice as his Judges prepare to host Warren County in the regular-season opener on Aug. 25. “Having Coach Gaynor there is like having a second head coach. The young coaches have stepped up big. Right now, it doesn’t feel any different.

“At practice, it’s the same. I’m coaching the quarterbacks and still calling the offense. Coach Gaynor is taking care of the defense. I guess until the first game on Saturday, I really won’t know the feeling.”

Jones said the transition has gone smoothly thus far and a big help is that Handley’s players know much of his staff. It also helps to have some talented players back in the fold.

“When you have a familiar face and a familiar way of coaching, it helps,” Jones said. “The biggest thing is the kids are helping to coach. The older kids have stepped up and are helping the more inexperienced kids. It’s kind of like having 40 coaches out there.”

“Everything has been very smooth since the coaching change,” wide receiver/defensive back Kevin Curry said. “Coach Jones has been here, so everybody is really used to him.”

The Judges are hoping to keep a little bit of momentum following an 0-10 season in 2015. Davis went 2-8 and 4-6 the past two seasons.

Jones hopes the Judges can continue that upward trend, but it won’t be easy in the tough Northwestern District, especially since Handley has to replace its offensive and defensive lines.

“Every year is different kids,” Jones said. “You hope to build off the previous year, but losing some of the kids we lost and not having experience where we need it in the trenches, you kind of start fresh.

“But, you hope the kids are seeing hard work pay off. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but when you double your wins two years in a row to four wins ... if we can just increase every year, it definitely builds the program. Sometimes you are going to weather a storm in a program, but as long as you continue to build the next year is going to be better hopefully.”

Curry said the team feels some momentum.

“Everything is going up,” the senior said. “Nothing stays the same. We’re improving. Everything is getting better in practices. We have better intensity from last year. I think everything is going up.”

Curry, who is drawing college interest including an offer from Hampton University, is one of several key playmakers returning for the Judges on offense.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound wideout is a nightmare for defensive backs with his speed coupled with his leaping ability. A standout on the Judges’ Class 4 runner-up basketball team, Curry is able to leap over defensive backs to pull down catches. He caught 36 passes for 643 yards and six scores last season.

“His big advantage for us is that if they only put one person on him I’ll take that,” Jones said. “If they put two on him, that opens up other things for us. He’s a huge factor for us. If he’s having a great game, they are going to have to put two on him.”

The Judges also return the versatile Malachi Imoh. The 5-6, 165-pound junior played both running back and quarterback when the Judges went to the wildcat formation last season. He rushed for 577 yards and six touchdowns on 100 carries and even completed 18 of 31 passes.

“He’s such a competitor,” Jones said of Imoh. “… He’s such a quick learner. Playing multiple positions helps him because he sees different things and knows what is happening. When he goes to the outside run, he knows what the receivers are doing because he’s played out there. Being a quarterback, he knows what we’re trying to do and about holding onto the ball. I don’t want to jinx myself, but he’s held onto the ball well so far this year.”

Jacob Parker (6-1, 170, Sr.) returns at starting quarterback. Parker completed 52 of 128 tosses for 889 yards and 7 touchdowns, with 13 interceptions. Caleb Metzger (5-10, 170, So.) also is battling for the spot.

Imoh will be joined in the backfield by fullback Quinton Newman (6-0, 220, Jr.), who is expected to both carry the ball and deliver some crunching blocks. Noah Hendrickson (5-7, 170, Jr.) and Zkyah Johnson (5-9, 180, So.) also will see time in the backfield.

Joining Curry at receiver are Jayden Vardaro (6-2, 180, So.), Tyson Long (6-2, 160, Sr.) and Mason Smith (5-7, 155, Jr.).

Doing the blocking will be center Ben Yerkie (6-3, 250, Sr.), right guard Tommy Downey (5-10, 205, Sr.), left guard Kobe Wolfinbarger (6-0, 240-So.), left tackle Luke Foltz (6-0, 230, Jr.) and right tackle Joey Ashby (5-7, 195, Jr.). Jordan Davenport (5-9, 310, Sr.) and Kevin Cruz (5-7, 225, Sr.) are also in the mix.

D’Andre James (Sr., 6-2, 215) and Stephen Daley (6-2, 220, Fr.) will hold down the tight end spot.

Jones said it’s no secret what the Judges hope to accomplish on offense. They will use multiple formations that have the same goal.

“We are hoping to get Malachi and Kevin the ball as much as possible,” he said. “If that’s putting them at quarterback or wildcat, we’ll do it. But, we’ve started out with our base four plays and until we master them we won’t add all of this crazy stuff until we are ready to.”

Curry said he and Parker are clicking.

“We have pretty good chemistry,” Curry said. “We used to play basketball back in like eighth grade, so we’ve known each other for a long time.”


The Judges’ 50 defense is led by linebackers James and Newman. James (86) and Newman (82) paced the Judges in tackles last season.

To start the season, several other Judges also will play two ways.

Joe Ashby, Wolfinbarger, Daley and Metzger will be joined by Tommy Ashby (5-7, 220, Jr.) along the line. Curry, who picked off three passes last season, Vardaro and Johnson will be joined by Miles Ashe (5-7, 175, Jr.) in the secondary.

Imoh, Adam Pollak (6-1, 175, So.) and Beau Thwing (5-5, 135, Fr.) are in the mix at punter. Pollak and Thwing are battling for the placekicking spot. Imoh and Curry likely will start the season returning kickoffs.

Turnovers — stopping their own and creating more — will be a key for the Judges. Last season, they committed 29, while getting just 10.

Jones says offensively he’s using a positive approach.

“You don’t want to plant a seed in anybody’s mind,” he said. “We talk about trying to get three yards, three yards, three yards. If we can move the ball and be consistent, then big things will follow after that. We don’t want to talk about them every day because then they will start thinking about them.”

But on defense, it’s a different story.

“Coach Gaynor is huge on that,” Jones said. “We have ‘Takeaway Tuesday.’ We preach to try to get three turnovers in a game and three turnovers at practice.”

In a tough district that featured four playoff teams (Class 4 semifinalist Sherando, Millbrook, Liberty and Kettle Run) last fall, Jones knows his squad will face stiff competition.

“We want to start out quick,” he said. “We’ve got to start out and get some confidence. I know it’s cliché, but we are looking at one play at a time, then one game at a time and so forth. We’ve got to start out with confidence and build from that because when we get into our district and we get Sherando, Millbrook and Liberty all back-to-back. Hopefully we’ll feel good and are running on all cylinders because we will need to.”

Curry says the team has high aspirations.

“Every team we play is pretty much a playoff team,” Curry said. “It’s going to be tough. If we just keep on practicing and coming to work every day, it shouldn’t be very hard.”

The senior knows the Handley fans would love to make the postseason. Several have been out watching practices.

“Everybody wants to see what the new Handley looks like,” Curry said. “It will look good.”
 
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