Jones Has Final Chance to Reach His Goal

Chris Jones, Huntington Beach High’s starting setter, has enjoyed all the benefits of starting for one of the Southern Section’s best--maybe the best--volleyball teams this season.

But then somebody reminded him of his humble beginnings on the Oiler varsity. It was his sophomore year, when he suffered a hardwood facial diving for a ball in practice.

“Some of the coaches used to pick on me,” Jones said, smiling. “We were doing the table drill (a coach spikes ball at players while standing on a table), and I had been in there forever. He dinked the ball. I dove for it, and my (sweaty) shirt stuck on the floor.”

It brought Jones to a screeching halt, hitting his chin on the floor.

“I didn’t know I was cut at first,” he said. “I just had a bad headache at first. Then I looked down, and blood was all over the place. I had 10 stitches.”

Two years later, Jones’ battle scars have long since healed. Winning--in volleyball and basketball--tends to heal wounds quickly.

A 6-foot-3 guard, he averaged nine points as a starting guard for the basketball team, which finished 29-5 and reached the Southern Section Division I finals and Southern California Regional semifinals.

He is averaging 35 assists per match for the volleyball team (20-0), which hasn’t lost a game since the opening match of the season. The Oilers have won two Sunset League titles with him in the starting lineup. He was named the league’s co-MVP this season with teammate Shadd Walker.

Although he appreciates the honors, Jones said there’s still one missing from his high school career--a section championship.

He came close in basketball, but the Oilers lost to Mater Dei in the final. He came close in volleyball last year, but Santa Barbara swept the Oilers in the championship match.

This is his final chance to win a title. He is finished with organized athletics after this season, having accepted an academic scholarship to Utah State next year.

“Reaching the finals again, and winning it, is my main goal right now,” he said. “I’ve been there twice--which is more than what most people do in their careers--but we lost both times. Winning it all would be a nice way to end my career.

Getting to the Division I finals won’t be easy. Third-seeded Huntington Beach faces a big challenge against Irvine (16-4) in tonight’s quarterfinals. Second-seeded Mira Costa would be a likely semifinal opponent.

A victory over Irvine would give Huntington Beach 21 victories, tying the Oilers with Manhattan Beach Mira Costa and Los Angeles Loyola for fourth-place on the Southern Section single-season winning streak list. Two more victories would give them the record.

Jones is too concerned about Irvine to worry about any record. This is the third consecutive year Huntington Beach and Irvine have met in the playoffs, having split five-game matches in the second-round the previous two years.

But the Oilers are confident.

This team is one of the deepest in school history, and Jones has a strong group of hitters for him to set. Starters Walker, Nick Ziegler, Mike Grave, Jon Wimbish and Chris Swann are among Orange County’s best.

San Clemente found this out first-hand after getting swept by Huntington Beach in the second round.

“Jones spreads that ball around beautifully,” Triton Coach Mike Hurlbut said.

Jones got a late start on the volleyball season because it overlapped with basketball playoffs.

He grew up with basketball, playing on traveling teams since the seventh grade under the watchful eye of his father, C.J., a Huntington Beach assistant coach.

But volleyball season offers Jones a chance to branch out on his own. He wasn’t raised on this sport; he started playing during lunch-hour at Talbert Middle School as an eighth grader.

“I never played competitively until my freshman year,” he said. “I started out just messing around, playing during lunch.

“I liked it, but I didn’t think about playing in high school. I didn’t have anything to do after freshman basketball, and I heard volleyball was fun . . .”

Still, he never expected a senior season like the one he has had. Huntington Beach has won 60 consecutive games after losing the first game of a four-game victory over Dana Hills in the season-opener.

In the last two years, Jones has played in 20 basketball and volleyball playoff games--almost a season in itself.

“Last year, I was nervous before Southern Section games,” Jones said. “But now, it’s no big deal. I know that if we go out and play well, we will win.”