SOUTHERN SECTION FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PREVIEWS : Cruise Missile : Brethren’s Jones Isn’t Always Intense, but He Is 320 Pounds

Kris Van Hook of Calvary Chapel enjoys telling a story about Daryl Jones, Brethren Christian’s 320-pound junior lineman.

“It was the last play in our game against them and Daryl yells over to our quarterback, ‘Hey Waylan (Kruse), you gonna take a knee on this play?’ And Waylan says, ‘Yeah,’ so Daryl yells back, ‘Good, I’m getting kind of tired.’ ”

Welcome to the easy-going world of Daryl Jones, the biggest two-way starter in the Olympic League. In Jones’ world, there’s no need to worry, no need to hurry. Everything is going to be just fine, thank you.

Brethren Christian Coach Mike Roark was introduced to “Daryl’s World” three years ago. Roark had just been hired as varsity coach in March of 1989 and was commuting each Friday from his teaching job in Santee to the Brethren campus in Cypress.

“I was getting to know the players and starting the off-season weight program when I first met Daryl,” Roark recalled. “He was already 6 feet and 225 pounds going into the ninth grade. I told everybody this kid has to play football.

“We got to talking and he said he wanted to play football, but he was going to visit relatives in Jamaica for the summer. He came back the day after conditioning week ended. He was drastically out of shape and nearly died when he had to run three laps.

“He kept telling me, ‘Coach, I can’t take this. You’re running me to death.’ But I knew if we brought him along right, we had ourselves a football player.”

Jones, who had never played organized football, began the season on the junior varsity team and was elevated to the varsity in the ninth week when a starter was injured.

“He got a taste of what it was like playing on the varsity,” Roark said. “He made a halfway effort to lift before his sophomore season and then had a pretty good year. He was definitely more intense during conditioning week this year.”

Intensity is a word seldom associated with Jones. But the big guy gets real serious when asked about his playing career. He shows signs of maturity beyond his years and even laughs when recalling his early days in Brethren’s football program.

“I laugh when I think back that I couldn’t handle running three laps and how I used to whine to the coaches,” he said. “I guess moving up to the varsity woke me up. That team showed me what it took to be a player.

“I was very nervous. I lacked experience and confidence. Suddenly, I was playing with the big boys.”

Of course, Jones fails to mention that he was as big or bigger than the “big boys” when recalling his first varsity games. He has gained 120 pounds since he began high school and has grown to 6 feet 4.

This year, he helped lead Brethren Christian to several milestones. The Warriors won their first league championship in 10 years. They defeated Whittier Christian and Cerritos Valley Christian in the same season for the first time.

They’ll enter the Southern Section Division X playoffs seeded No. 4 and will play host to Malibu Kilpatrick at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Artesia High.

Jones added the duties of offensive tackle this season; he is one of only two players who play on offense and defense under Roark. Many figure his future will be as an offensive lineman in college.

“I like playing defense because there are no rules,” he said. “But I got double-teamed most of the time, and sometimes, I got triple-teamed. I’m still learning the techniques on the offensive line, but I never thought it could be this much fun.”

Jones, who runs a 5.0 in the 40-yard dash, also was used as a running back in short yardage situations against Bellflower, Whittier Christian, Maranatha and El Cajon Christian. He scored a touchdown against Maranatha.

“We’d let him do it (rush) more, but he had a dive play against Whittier Christian and he decided to kick it outside,” Roark said. “He lost yardage. Can you imagine a 320-pound running back losing yardage?”

Roark envisions Jones being a blocker, not a runner, in college.

“Daryl has many gifts, it just depends on which he wants to use,” Roark said. “We’ve been surprised with his play on the offensive line.

“Daryl’s biggest problem is that he sometimes plays on cruise control. It seems his best games have come when he’s played against someone comparable in size. I’ve found that I have to ‘push his button’ sometimes to get him to perform.

“There have been games where’s been been double- or triple-teamed. I’m sure he gets frustrated. I can show you film against Valley Christian where two guys are blocking him and another is waiting for him.”

Jones’ size does attract a crowd. He was already approaching 200 pounds by the end of sixth grade. “My mom kept telling me it was in my genes,” he said.

Jones said he was average size while attending Southern California Military Academy in Long Beach from the second to the sixth grade. He also said he enjoyed military school.

“It was fun,” he said. “It provided a good environment for me at a time when I need a father figure. My father died when I was 9, so my mother thought it would be best if I attended the academy.

“The school was good for discipline and a real character builder. I was an only child, and my mother (Dana) always made sacrifices for me. I’ll always appreciate that.”

There are times, however, when Jones said he doesn’t appreciate his size.

“I found something (playing football) to do with my size,” he said. “I just hope I’ve finished growing. Three hundred and 20 pounds is big enough.”

Division X at a Glance

Defending champion--Southern California Christian has moved to Division XI.

Top teams--Big Bear (10-0), Bishop (8-2), Los Angeles Murphy (8-2), Brethren Christian (7-3).

Dark horses--Whittier Christian (7-3), Sun Valley Village Christian (5-5).

Top players--Mike Benson, quarterback, Big Bear; Hans Conder, running back, Bishop; Reggie Davis, quarterback, Brethren Christian; Mike Hejl, running back, Big Bear; Aaron Meschuk, running back, Whittier Christian; Rick Solesbee, running back, Bishop; Chris Winslow, wide receiver, Big Bear.

Best draw--Whittier Christian, which avoided being bracketed with top-seeded Big Bear despite finishing second in the Olympic League.

Worst draw--Brethren Christian. The fourth-seeded Warriors will probably meet Village Christian, which forfeited four games after using an ineligible player, in the second round.

Notes--Village Christian’s record dropped from 9-1 to 5-5 after its forfeits. The Crusaders, who still won the Alpha League title, benefit from a first-round home game in Sun Valley. Top-seeded Big Bear was a quarterfinalist in Division IX last year.