Football: Oaks Christian junior is keeping up with the Joneses

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I’m imagining most of Ventura County will be out be out in force for Friday night’s showdown between Santa Clara and Oaks Christian. And a great deal of those interested onlookers will be on hand to catch a glimpse of Cierre Wood, the Saints’ star running back who’s considered the nation’s top player at his position.

Malcolm Jones, however, could end up stealing the show. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound junior is one of the Southland’s top underclassmen and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if the Lions’ featured back finishes the evening with better numbers than his counterpart. This could be the game that Wood passes the torch.

‘Cierre is great, fabulous, don’t get me wrong. But I’ll take Malcolm any day of the week,’’ Oaks Christian Coach Bill Redell said. ‘He’s big, strong, quick and has great hands. He’s the total package. There’s a reason why he has offers from Arizona, Oregon and Stanford. Alabama, Michigan and Notre Dame are recruiting him, too.’’

Jones has averaged more than 10 yards per touch this season. His 976 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns are comparable to Wood’s 1,526 yards on the ground and 24 scores. ‘What people fail to realize is that Malcolm hasn’t played in the second half in four of our eight games,’’ Redell said. ‘His numbers should be off the charts.’’

As a sophomore, he accounted for 2,315 total yards of offense and 29 touchdowns. If the Lions make another postseason run in the Southern Section playoffs, which they likely will, there’s a very good chance that Jones could surpass those lofty totals. And keep in mind, we’re talking about a kid that still has his senior year looming.

‘Malcolm is special,’’ Redell said. ‘He could be one of the best to come through this school. If Cierre Wood is the best around, Malcolm has to mentioned in the conversation. You tell me who the best back is after our game against Santa Clara...’’

-- Sean Ceglinsky