Jones – Berks Sports Report

Wilson hires Matt Raquet

Paul Roberts — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 23:55:43 +0000

Wilson has found its new girls basketball head coach. Matt Raquet was approved at tonight’s school board meeting. Raquet graduated from Holy Name in 2005. He was on the Blue Jays’ basketball, football, and track and field teams. Berks Catholic inducted Raquet into its Hall of Fame in 2016.

Raquet spent three years (2010-13) as a graduate assistant/video coordinator with the Temple women’s basketball team. His next stop at the Division I college level was Holy Cross. He was an assistant women’s basketball coach for the Crusaders from 2013-18. Raquet stepped down for family reasons, but later coached one of the top AAU programs in Philadelphia for four years. He moved back to Berks County a few years ago.

Chris Gallo resigned as Wilson’s head coach in early May. He had a record of (65-30) over four seasons. The Bulldogs went (24-5) this year and reached the state playoffs. They lost to Wyomissing 45-36 in the BCIAA championship and finished fourth in the District 3-6A tournament.

Wilson’s starting lineup this past season included four sophomores. Unfortunately, point guard Laila Jones suffered a torn ACL last month during an AAU tournament. The two-time All-County selection has 788 career points. Jones averaged a team-high 16 points as a sophomore.

Laila Jones-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Tue, 09 Jan 2024 00:23:00 +0000

Some basketball players are great scorers. Others are great passers. Laila Jones can do both. The 5’7 sophomore point guard had 18 points and nine assists in Wilson’s 53-35 victory at rival Gov. Mifflin. “I’m not a selfish player. I like to get my team involved. You can’t win by yourself,” said Jones. She set up Violet Houck time and time again. The 5’11 sophomore finished with 18 points, two shy of her career high. Houck piled up 16 rebounds before fouling out with one minute remaining. The (11-1, 5-0) Bulldogs start four sophomores. Senior guard Jasilyn Moncada got them off to a fast start by sinking a pair of 3-pointers. Wilson led 18-8 after the opening quarter. Jones and Houck each scored five points in the second period as their advantage expanded to 34-20 at halftime. The (6-6, 2-3) Mustangs limited the Bulldogs to six points in the third quarter. Gov. Mifflin trailed 40-30 entering the final period. Taylor Koenig, a 5’8 senior, hit a triple from the right wing with 6:15 left. The two-time all-division pick got the Mustangs within 41-33. Jones responded with a trey of her own from the right wing. Freshman Ryan Leaman connected from long range to put Wilson in front 47-34. The Bulldogs ended the night on a 12-2 run. Gov. Mifflin came into the week as the highest scoring team in the Berks League at 53 points per game. Wilson allowed just 15 points in the second half and five in the fourth quarter. “We weren’t worried about it at all. We just knew we had to come contest their shot. They’re gonna shoot. That’s what they do all the time,” remarked Jones. The Mustangs made six 3-pointers and went 11-of-18 from the free throw line. The Bulldogs made seven shots from downtown including three by Jones. She was an all-county selection as a freshman when Wilson ended up (15-9). The Bulldogs were 10-of-18 from the charity stripe. Koenig, who was averaging 15 ppg., finished with a team-high nine points. She was injured with five and a-half minutes to go in the third quarter, but returned in the final period. Senior guard Keira Estrada chipped in with seven points for Gov. Mifflin. Mustangs’ head coach Mike Clark needs ten wins to reach 300 for his career. This is his 12th season in Shillington. Clark was (93-18) over four years at Oley Valley. Wilson coach Chris Gallo picked up career win #255. He was the boys basketball head coach at Schuylkill Valley for 15 seasons. Gallo is in his fourth year with the Bulldogs. Despite winning eleven of their first twelve games, Jones realizes that there’s more work to be done. “We know we have a long way to go. We just have to keep performing and working hard at practice every day,” she said.

Cam Jones-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Sun, 25 Sep 2022 12:33:00 +0000

Cam Jones has 14 touchdowns and it’s still September. The Holy Cross commit is certainly enjoying his senior season at Wilson. He replied, “I’m having a lot of fun. That’s kind of what this year is about. You gotta get as much fun out of it as you can.” The Bulldogs’ last four opponents didn’t have any fun. Wilson has won its first two league matchups by a combined score of 84-19. Jones reached the end zone four times at Reading. He got back there three times in a 36-13 victory against Cedar Crest on Friday. The Class 6A all-state selection put the (4-1) Bulldogs on top 15-0 in the opening 13 and a-half minutes with a pair of touchdown runs and a 2-point conversion. Jones went untouched off right tackle on his second score from 27 yards away. He gave credit to the offensive line. “It was amazing. [Coach] Dahms got them a little fired up. [He] told them to come out and pound them so we did. They came out to play. I can’t thank them any more for that,” said Jones. Wilson outgained the Falcons 395-to-177. Cedar Crest has lost 19 straight in the series. The Bulldogs ran for 267 yards with Jones averaging 14 yards a pop. He electrified the crowd at John Gurski Stadium with a 48-yard touchdown grab midway through the third quarter. Jones spun out of a tackle over the middle while palming the football and raced down the left sideline to give Wilson a 29-7 edge. He finished with eight carries for 113 yards. Jones added three receptions for 54 yards. Tommy Hunsicker also had a big night. The junior quarterback was 8-of-12 for 127 yards and 3TD. Eddie Case, a 6’3, junior, made a terrific diving catch for a 35-yard score on the Bulldogs’ first drive of the second half. Hunsicker found Brady Kline on a shovel pass for a 5-yard touchdown midway through the fourth period. Jones thinks the 210-pound sophomore tight end has a bright future. “He has a lot of potential. His hands are getting a lot better and his blocking is getting better,” stated Jones. The 5’11, 185-pound WR/CB/KR also likes what he’s seeing from Hunsicker. “He’s progressed a lot. Now he’s settled in. He has a couple of starts under his belt. What makes him even better is the fact that Adam Woods is coming to practice every day, and they’re still competing for the spot,” said Jones. Hunsicker ran ten times for 81 yards versus the (2-3) Falcons. Nick Fiorini chipped in with 44 yards on eight touches. Jones didn’t have any punt returns on Friday, but he did go 43 yards on a kickoff return. Jones has only returned four punts this season. He took three of them to the house! Ten of his touchdowns have come on the ground this year. Starting running back Cleveland Harding has missed three games with injuries. Jones and Harding will be in the backcourt together when basketball season arrives. For now, they’re focused on Saturday’s rivalry game at Gov. Mifflin. The Mustangs beat the Bulldogs 42-14 a season ago.

Cam Jones-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Thu, 08 Sep 2022 20:15:00 +0000

With Cleveland Harding out due to an ankle injury, Cam Jones got the chance to play running back at Central Dauphin. The all-state selection made the most of the opportunity. The 5’11, 185-pound senior ran for 122 yards on 13 carries in Wilson’s 17-10 win last Friday. Jones provided a spark in the third quarter with a 53-yard touchdown run. The play was designed to go up the middle, but the Rams got penetration and Jones bounced it outside. “Brady Kline ran like 30-35 yards to block the safety which is unheard of from a tight end, and that helped me get to the end zone,” he said. Kline is a promising 210-pound sophomore who started a season ago. Jones prefers playing wide receiver, but he had fun at running back. The Holy Cross commit replied, “I enjoyed it a lot. It was just a role change that I had to play. I’m open to play any position. I feel like I can play them all.” Jones finished the 2021 campaign with 29 combined carries and receptions. He had 16 against Central Dauphin including three catches. Tommy Hunsicker went 9-of-15 for 127 yards and a 26-yard TD strike to Eddie Case. Jones believes the size of Case and 6’2 junior Austin Valukevich gives the (1-1) Bulldogs an advantage in the passing game. Wilson hosts Martin Luther King from Philadelphia this week before traveling to Reading. The Red Knights are back in Section 1 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League after the merger with the Berks Football League. Jones knows a lot of Reading’s players. He has battled Ruben Rodriguez and Amier Burdine on the basketball court several times. “It’ll be good to kind of show them what Wilson football is all about. It’ll be fun,” Jones said. The Bulldogs are riding a 14-game league winning streak. They own a record 28 Section 1 championships in the L-L League. It’s early in the season so Jones hasn’t thought about playing his final games at John Gurski Stadium. He remarked, “If I started to think about it, it could get a little overwhelming and emotional. Playing at Gurski is like no other; walking out in front of all the fans is like no other.” Wilson hasn’t had a losing season since 1963, the year before John Gurski took over as head coach in West Lawn. Jones is an electrifying kick returner and elite cornerback. He took a punt back 77 yards for a score in the opener versus Roman Catholic. Last year, he had a whopping seven kick return touchdowns! Jones told me why he thought Holy Cross was the best fit for him. “When I took my visit, it was just a loving environment from the head coach all the way down to the last man on the roster. It reminded me just like here at Wilson. The energy in the weight room was amazing,” he noted. Before heading off to college, Jones and the Bulldogs are hoping to reach the District 3 playoffs for the 30th time in school history. Wilson has captured seven District 3 titles.

Cam Jones-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 08:33:00 +0000

Cam Jones still doesn’t know why teams kick the football to him. “That’s a good question,” he said with a big smile. The rising senior at Wilson made opponents pay a hefty toll for kicking to him last season. Jones averaged a whopping 47.1 yards on kickoff returns with a long of 91 and three touchdowns. The Class 6A all-state selection piled up 486 yards on 17 punt returns (28.6) with a long of 74 yards and four scores. The 5’11, 185-pound DB/WR gave a lot of credit to his blockers and the schemes devised by head coach Doug Dahms. Jones has narrowed his college options down to four schools. We discussed what stands out to him about Army, Navy, Holy Cross, and Richmond. Jones told me that he will make a decision before the high school season starts on August 26th. Academics was definitely a factor when announcing his final four choices. He said, “What my mom has been telling me is one day you have to hang the cleats up so you got to have the education to have your back.” Jones is a highlight waiting to happen on both sides of the ball. He finished with twelve combined touchdowns for the (9-4, 5-0) Bulldogs in 2021. Jones is quick and shifty with a rare ability to make people miss. He averaged 8 yards per carry on 21 touches with three touchdowns. Jones reached the end zone twice on his eight catches (16.9 yards/reception). He’ll be working with a new quarterback this year. Brad Hoffman graduated after running for 1,080 yards and twelve scores. He threw for 846 yards with eleven touchdowns and nine picks. Jones talked about who’s in the mix to take over for Hoffman. College coaches are recruiting Jones as a cornerback. He made 37 tackles (5.5 TFL) and one interception as a junior. Wilson captured its 28th Section 1 championship in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. The Bulldogs have put together 46 consecutive winning seasons. They reached the District 3-6A final last year before falling to Harrisburg 14-10. The Section 1 Defensive Back of the Year understands that expectations are always high in West Lawn. He said, “Just know that you’re going to get a team that’s working hard now and will hopefully compete for some championships.” Jones still loves playing hoops as well. The all-division guard had nine points in a 38-26 victory over Gov. Mifflin in the West Reading League quarterfinals on Tuesday. He averaged a team-high twelve points last season. Jones emphasized that basketball helps him to stay in shape for football season. He takes pride in being a multi-sport athlete. Expect to hear a lot about Jones once again this fall. Good luck to the opponents that opt to kick him the ball.

Cam Jones-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 12:26:00 +0000

Down 50-46 with 1.6 seconds left. Game over, right? Wrong. The Bulldogs pulled off an unbelievable comeback against Methacton on Saturday in West Lawn. Wilson trailed by 14 in the third quarter and by 12 with just over two minutes left. The (14-5) Bulldogs rallied for a 60-56 victory in overtime. Aidan Melograna was fouled with 1.6 seconds to go. The 6’2 junior sank the first free throw and then missed the second on purpose. 6’4 senior Foday Sillah got inside position for the offensive rebound and kicked it out to the left wing where Cam Jones was ready to launch. The junior point guard and all-state football player drilled the game-tying 3-pointer to force overtime. Video footage showed that the ball was out of Jones’ hand with 0.1 seconds on the clock. Cleveland Harding scored seven of Wilson’s ten points in OT. His two free throws with 13 seconds remaining put the Bulldogs up 59-53. After Matt Christian connected on his fifth trey of the afternoon, Ofure Odiale converted 1-2 from the foul line to seal the deal. Odiale, a 6’3 junior, played terrific defense on 6’8 senior Cole Hargrove who’s getting lower-level Division I interest. Hargrove finished with eight points. The (19-2) Warriors went 2-10 from the charity stripe. They were 0-7 in the fourth quarter and overtime. Cam Chilson missed the front end of a pair of 1-and-1 opportunities in the closing seconds of regulation. Harding buried a triple with twenty seconds to go that got the Bulldogs within 50-46. The 5’9 junior poured in 13 of his 15 points after the third period. Jones told me that Harding takes a lot of pressure off of him in the backcourt. Jones gave Sillah credit for being aggressive offensively even with Hargrove patrolling the lane. Sillah ended up with a team-high 17 points including 13 in the second half. Jones picked up his second foul with 2:27 left in the first quarter and sat the rest of the first half. Methacton held Wilson to five points in the second quarter. The Warriors were in front 24-16 at halftime and 37-29 after the third period. Christian came out of the locker room on fire after a scoreless first half. He nailed three triples in the first two and a-half minutes of the third quarter to give Methacton a 33-19 edge. Christian had a game-high 19 points. Senior guard Brett Byrne, a three-year starter, chipped in with 14. He made two of the Warriors’ eight 3-pointers. The Bulldogs hit five shots from beyond the arc and went 15-22 from the free throw line. Freshman guard Madyx Gruber scored all seven of his points in the first half. Jones said he knew his game-tying trey was going in as soon as he released it. After his teammates erupted off the bench, Jones reminded them that game wasn’t over. All 14 of his points came in the second half. He stressed that defense was the key to the comeback. Wilson is allowing just 48 points per game. Jones knows that his team will keep fighting until the end. They overcame a 17-point deficit to beat Muhlenberg one month ago. The Bulldogs have won ten of their last eleven games. Jones added that they have a lot of confidence going into Tuesday’s game at Berks Catholic. Saints’ coach Snip Esterly was in attendance for this thriller. Wilson wraps up its regular season schedule on Wednesday at Reading.

Cam Jones-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:17:00 +0000

Cam Jones likes to get his teammates involved early in games. The 5’10 junior point guard knows when to be assertive and look for his own shot. Jones did just that in Wilson’s 51-48 victory over Berks Catholic. The all-state football player scored 17 points in the second half and 21 overall. Jones knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to start the fourth quarter and give the Bulldogs a 41-35 advantage. Jones had ten points in the final period and a team-high eight rebounds. He told me that Wilson’s defense was the difference. The Saints jumped out to a 9-4 lead before the Bulldogs went on an 11-0 run that stretched into the second quarter. Berks Catholic was held nine points below its season average of 57. The Saints trailed 23-19 at halftime and went scoreless for six and a-half minutes of the fourth quarter. Ryan Koch made it interesting by connecting on six 3-pointers including three over the last 1:22 of the game. Jones was very impressed by Koch’s 27-point performance. Berks Catholic got within one point twice in the final 37 seconds thanks to the free throw shooting of junior guard Jack Miller. Aidan Melograna’s breakaway layup in the closing seconds finally sealed it for the (6-4, 2-3) Bulldogs. They struggled at the foul line down the stretch. Wilson was just 6-14 in the fourth quarter and 10-19 overall. The (8-2, 3-2) Saints were 13-16 from the stripe. Junior point guard JayJay Jordan chipped in with twelve points before fouling out with 58 seconds to go. Jones said that the Bulldogs’ bench came up big with 13 points. Melograna, a 6’2 junior, had six. It was a special night in West Lawn. Wilson head coach Matt Coldren set the school record for wins with 363. Reggie Weiss was in attendance to see Coldren break his record. Jones called Coldren one of the best coaches in the state. He’s (363-171) over 21 seasons with four Berks County championships. Coldren guided the Bulldogs to their first District 3 title in 2020. Jones also thanked the Wilson fans for supporting the team after some early struggles. The Bulldogs have rebounded with tough wins over Muhlenberg and Berks Catholic. Wilson hosts Fleetwood on Thursday.

Cam Jones-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 12:25:00 +0000

Cam Jones was selected to the Class 6A all-state football team. He was named the Defensive Back of the Year in Section 1 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League and had a phenomenal season as a kick returner. The 5’10 junior already has an offer from Army. Jones is also an exciting player on the basketball court. We talked about making the transition from the gridiron to hoops. Jones has more than doubled his scoring output from last season when he helped Wilson win the county championship and reach the District 3 Final. The point guard is averaging a team-high 13 points for the (4-3, 0-2) Bulldogs. Jones knows that Division 1 of the Berks Conference is extremely competitive this year and that’s just how he likes it. Wilson faces Exeter on Monday and Muhlenberg on Thursday. We discussed the matchup with the Eagles. Jones said the Bulldogs need to improve their chemistry and communication skills. He likes what he’s seeing from Foday Sillah. The 6’4 senior forward didn’t play last season. Sillah is second on the team in scoring at ten points per game. Jones gave me his predictions for the college football playoffs. Plus, he mentioned his favorite Christmas gift this year.

Jadyn Jones-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 18:18:00 +0000

The Bulldogs certainly aren’t trying to disguise what they want to do on offense. Over the last four games, Wilson has run the ball 217 times and attempted just 26 passes. The (9-3) Bulldogs surpassed 3,000 rushing yards for the season when they piled up 348 yards on the ground at Central York. A huge part of that running attack is Jadyn Jones. The 215-pound senior finished with 161 yards on 27 carries in the District 3-6A semifinals. Wilson got past the top-seeded Panthers 14-11. Jones told me that the offensive line wanted to run the ball more than they were earlier this season. The fifth-seeded Bulldogs have been able to wear down their opponents and control the clock. They held the ball for nearly 34 minutes against Central York. Jones believes that the work his team has done in the weight room is paying off now, and the Bulldogs are confident that they can beat anyone. I asked Jones what it would mean to win a District championship. He’s well aware that Harrisburg ended Wilson’s season in 2018 and 2019. Jones is averaging 6.6 yards per carry this year. He has 1,264 rushing yards and 13TD. Jadyn gave an injury update on his younger brother, Cam, who has been a dynamic kick returner. Cam also starts at cornerback and wide receiver. The Bulldogs battle the (11-1) Cougars at 1pm on Saturday at Severance Field.

Jadyn Jones-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Fri, 29 Oct 2021 22:58:00 +0000

Jadyn Jones was a workhorse for Wilson on a rainy night in West Lawn. The 215-pound senior rumbled for 177 yards on 30 carries against Manheim Township. The Bulldogs prevailed 21-14 to lock up their record 28th Section 1 championship in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. Wilson ran for 333 yards and held the ball for nearly 32 minutes. The Bulldogs outgained Manheim Township 386-to-208. Jones said Wilson dominated up front. He thinks the Bulldogs can win a District 3 title. We also discussed how their non-league schedule has helped them, and what’s been the difference over the second half of the season. Wilson improved to (7-3, 5-0) with its fifth consecutive win. Jones told me that it was an emotional week for the team after they learned of the death of 2012 graduate Clayton Schannauer. He passed away on Tuesday in a car accident. Schannauer was a standout OL for the Bulldogs.