texasjeremy
10-27-2004, 07:08 PM
Palestine Westwood Panthers @ Palestine Wildcats
For the 1st time ever these 2 will meet, 45 years of trash talk will finally be decided on the field.
Paul Kennedy vs. Cameron Jones - the battle of the running backs
10-27-04
By Scott Tyler
H-P Sports Editor
There are a handful of reasons to watch Friday night's Westwood-Palestine game at Wildcat Stadium.
First there's the rivalry between two cross-town teams playing each other for the first time in the regular football season.
Secondly, there's playoff implications for both teams.
Add to that the chance to see two 1,000-yard running backs - Westwood's Paul Kennedy and Palestine's Cameron Jones - go up against each other.
"It is going to be fun for the town of Palestine to come out and watch two great running backs," Palestine offensive coordinator Tommy Allison said.
The numbers are very similar for Kennedy and Jones. Jones has six more carries and 92 more yards than his Westwood counterpart through eight games. Both players have scored 10 rushing touchdowns each.
"There are not too many district ball games where you have two 1,000 yard backs playing against each other," Westwood head coach Shane Jones said. "This is even more special because there are two 1,000-yard backs in the same town."
Kennedy has rushed for 1,044 yards on 140 carries this season. He is averaging 130.5 yards a game and 7.5 yards a carry. The Westwood junior reached the 1,000-yard mark last week with 118 yards against Huntington.
"One of my goals this year was to get 1,000 yards so it feels good," Kennedy said. "My offensive line helped me a lot in getting to 1,000 yards."
Like Kennedy, Jones broke the 1,000-yard plateau last week as he rushed for a season-high 213 yards against Crockett. The Palestine senior has rushed for 1,136 yards on 146 carries. He is averaging 142 yards per game and 7.8 yards per carry.
"I am happy to rush for 1,000 yards but I did not even know I had that many," Jones said. "The coaches believe in me and trusted in me and I have the best offensive line I have ever run behind."
Both players are in their first years as starting running backs for their respective teams.
Kennedy, or PK as he is called, came into the season after seeing little playing time last year as a sophomore.
"I did not touch the ball much last season, but the offseason really helped me get into shape," Kennedy said. "I ran and lifted weights to get quicker and stronger."
When the 2004 season started, Jones was unsure of who was going to be his starting running back.
"PK played some last year but he was not a real bright spot, so we did not have a definite starter," Jones said. "But in the second scrimmage, he came to life, but by no means did we think he was going to rush for 1,000 yards after eight games."
In the second game of the season, Kennedy rushed for 179 yards against Van on 14 carries. He scored on a touchdown run of 54 yards after breaking several tackles.
"Once a hole is made by our offensive line and PK gets to the secondary, he is hard to bring down," Jones said. "He does a great job running over and dragging players."
Jones compared Kennedy's running style to a bull, even down to bobbing his head like a bull when he runs.
Kennedy said he enjoys running over players.
"After you do it once, you want to do it more," Kennedy said.
Kennedy's biggest game of the year came against Kemp, when he rushed for 310 yards and three touchdowns, including a 65-yard romp to the end zone.
Later in the season, Kennedy returned from a shoulder injury which slowed him down, to gain 184 yards and score three touchdowns against Rusk.
With another year left in high school, Jones looks for big things from his running back.
"How good he wants to be depends on how much extra work he puts into the game," Jones said. "He could be one of the best backs in East Texas if he dedicates himself."
While Kennedy had to battle to become the starter, Jones was given the starting spot at the beginning of the season, replacing Adrian Peterson.
"We expected a great year from Cameron and even though he had no varsity experience at running back we knew he was a great back," Allison said. "He has definitely proven himself this year."
Allison lists three reasons why Jones has become a top running back in the area - his heart for the game, his vision on the field and his balance.
"Cameron is very athletic but the best thing about him is his heart," Palestine quarterback Fred Williams said.
Palestine running back coach Jamie Driskell calls Jones' balance the best he has ever seen.
"Cameron has a mixture of quickness and strength and he is tough to bring down," Driskell said. "The best thing about Cameron is he is a great kid who is very coachable and comes to practice every day with a great attitude. He is the ultimate team player."
Jones' vision on the field allows him to make cuts to get up the field and turn a small gain into a big play.
"Cameron makes one cut then gets north and south as soon as he can," Driskell said. "He feels the blocks and once he decides to hit it, he goes 100 miles per hour."
Jones also carries a big punch as he has shown he can run over defenders.
"Just by looking at him, you would not expect him to be a physical runner," Allison said. "But he is not scared to lower his head and hit someone.
"He has no fear when going against contact. In his mind, he will do whatever he can to make this team better."
Jones had rushed for over 100 yards in six of Palestine's eight games this year.
"In my opinion, Cameron is the best back in the district," Driskell said. "He is the complete package running back."
For the 1st time ever these 2 will meet, 45 years of trash talk will finally be decided on the field.
Paul Kennedy vs. Cameron Jones - the battle of the running backs
10-27-04
By Scott Tyler
H-P Sports Editor
There are a handful of reasons to watch Friday night's Westwood-Palestine game at Wildcat Stadium.
First there's the rivalry between two cross-town teams playing each other for the first time in the regular football season.
Secondly, there's playoff implications for both teams.
Add to that the chance to see two 1,000-yard running backs - Westwood's Paul Kennedy and Palestine's Cameron Jones - go up against each other.
"It is going to be fun for the town of Palestine to come out and watch two great running backs," Palestine offensive coordinator Tommy Allison said.
The numbers are very similar for Kennedy and Jones. Jones has six more carries and 92 more yards than his Westwood counterpart through eight games. Both players have scored 10 rushing touchdowns each.
"There are not too many district ball games where you have two 1,000 yard backs playing against each other," Westwood head coach Shane Jones said. "This is even more special because there are two 1,000-yard backs in the same town."
Kennedy has rushed for 1,044 yards on 140 carries this season. He is averaging 130.5 yards a game and 7.5 yards a carry. The Westwood junior reached the 1,000-yard mark last week with 118 yards against Huntington.
"One of my goals this year was to get 1,000 yards so it feels good," Kennedy said. "My offensive line helped me a lot in getting to 1,000 yards."
Like Kennedy, Jones broke the 1,000-yard plateau last week as he rushed for a season-high 213 yards against Crockett. The Palestine senior has rushed for 1,136 yards on 146 carries. He is averaging 142 yards per game and 7.8 yards per carry.
"I am happy to rush for 1,000 yards but I did not even know I had that many," Jones said. "The coaches believe in me and trusted in me and I have the best offensive line I have ever run behind."
Both players are in their first years as starting running backs for their respective teams.
Kennedy, or PK as he is called, came into the season after seeing little playing time last year as a sophomore.
"I did not touch the ball much last season, but the offseason really helped me get into shape," Kennedy said. "I ran and lifted weights to get quicker and stronger."
When the 2004 season started, Jones was unsure of who was going to be his starting running back.
"PK played some last year but he was not a real bright spot, so we did not have a definite starter," Jones said. "But in the second scrimmage, he came to life, but by no means did we think he was going to rush for 1,000 yards after eight games."
In the second game of the season, Kennedy rushed for 179 yards against Van on 14 carries. He scored on a touchdown run of 54 yards after breaking several tackles.
"Once a hole is made by our offensive line and PK gets to the secondary, he is hard to bring down," Jones said. "He does a great job running over and dragging players."
Jones compared Kennedy's running style to a bull, even down to bobbing his head like a bull when he runs.
Kennedy said he enjoys running over players.
"After you do it once, you want to do it more," Kennedy said.
Kennedy's biggest game of the year came against Kemp, when he rushed for 310 yards and three touchdowns, including a 65-yard romp to the end zone.
Later in the season, Kennedy returned from a shoulder injury which slowed him down, to gain 184 yards and score three touchdowns against Rusk.
With another year left in high school, Jones looks for big things from his running back.
"How good he wants to be depends on how much extra work he puts into the game," Jones said. "He could be one of the best backs in East Texas if he dedicates himself."
While Kennedy had to battle to become the starter, Jones was given the starting spot at the beginning of the season, replacing Adrian Peterson.
"We expected a great year from Cameron and even though he had no varsity experience at running back we knew he was a great back," Allison said. "He has definitely proven himself this year."
Allison lists three reasons why Jones has become a top running back in the area - his heart for the game, his vision on the field and his balance.
"Cameron is very athletic but the best thing about him is his heart," Palestine quarterback Fred Williams said.
Palestine running back coach Jamie Driskell calls Jones' balance the best he has ever seen.
"Cameron has a mixture of quickness and strength and he is tough to bring down," Driskell said. "The best thing about Cameron is he is a great kid who is very coachable and comes to practice every day with a great attitude. He is the ultimate team player."
Jones' vision on the field allows him to make cuts to get up the field and turn a small gain into a big play.
"Cameron makes one cut then gets north and south as soon as he can," Driskell said. "He feels the blocks and once he decides to hit it, he goes 100 miles per hour."
Jones also carries a big punch as he has shown he can run over defenders.
"Just by looking at him, you would not expect him to be a physical runner," Allison said. "But he is not scared to lower his head and hit someone.
"He has no fear when going against contact. In his mind, he will do whatever he can to make this team better."
Jones had rushed for over 100 yards in six of Palestine's eight games this year.
"In my opinion, Cameron is the best back in the district," Driskell said. "He is the complete package running back."