LHS softball seniors

EMORY JONES

By Kevin Eckleberry

Former Heard County Brave Emory Jones waited his turn, playing sparingly during his first three seasons as a quarterback for the Florida Gators.

That patience, and commitment to the program, has paid off this season, with Jones taking over as the Gators’ starting quarterback, although he has shared time with talented freshman Anthony Richardson.

Shane Lasseter, who is in his first season as Heard County’s head coach and was a longtime assistant coach on the team before that, knows the temptation was there for Jones to leave the program. “In today’s world, commitment is not appreciated,” Lasseter said. “He could have, at any time, left, and he had people trying to tell him to do that. He made a commitment to that school, and to coach (Dan) Mullen, and he stayed the course. I hope he has a great year, because he deserves it.”

Jones, who grew up in LaGrange and attended Heard High, was one of the state’s most highly recruited players during his time in high school.

Jones, despite his lofty status as a blue-chip recruit, was a backup the past three seasons, first to Feleipe Franks, and then to Kyle Trask.

Jones played in 24 games during his first three seasons at Florida and had more than 1,000 yards combined rushing and passing, but he has never been the featured quarterback until this year.

“It has been hard, but it’s all been for a reason,” Jones said in an Associated Press story before the season. “That’s what I’ve realized over the past years. I have been playing a little bit, so that keeps me going. I’ve just been watching the guys in front of me do their best and watching how they move and how they operate and it’s definitely just helping me.”

Jones showed what he’s capable of during a game against an Alabama team that, at the time, was unbeaten and ranked number one.

After an inspired effort in a loss to top-ranked Alabama, Jones completed 21-of-27 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns in a victory over Tennessee, and he was named the Southeastern Conference player of the week.

Jones also led Florida in rushing in that game with 144 yards on 15 attempts.

Jones became just the second player in Florida history to have more than 200 passing yards and more than 100 rushing yards in one game.

Even when things haven’t gone well, like when he threw three interceptions in a road loss to LSU, Jones has continued to be the consummate teammate, and he was supportive of Anthony Richardson when he took over as quarterback in that game.

After getting benched against LSU, Jones entered the game in the second half after Richardson was injured and threw a touchdown pass that at the time pulled Florida even.

While Jones has settled into the University of Florida community, his ties to Heard County remain deep.

How much the school means to him was evident this summer when Jones, despite being pressed for time, participated in a youth football camp at Heard County on July 3.

“He participated in something that morning, drove up here, did the camp, and drove back,” Lasseter said. “That was awesome. His role is completely different this year. There’s a lot of people leaning on him, pulling him in a million different directions. That was special for him to come.”

Jones was one of a handful of former Heard County players who participated in the camp.

One of those players is Aaron Beasley, a junior linebacker at Tennessee, and he and Jones faced off on Sept. 25.

Another player at the camp was Heard County graduate Chief Borders, who is a freshman linebacker at Florida.

After the camp, Jones, Beasley, Borders and the other former Braves had supper together in the field house, and they got to spend some time together and reminisce about old times.

“That was awesome for them to get to hang out and have fun,” Lasseter said. “We’re real proud of all those guys.”

As for Jones, whatever his role his moving forward, Lasseter is confident his former player will be up to the challenge.

“He’s got a great head on his shoulders, and he can handle it,” Lasseter said.

It has been hard, but it’s all been for a reason.”

DARIUS JOINER DARIUS JOINER

By Kevin Eckleberry By Kevin Eckleberry

It’s been quite a debut season at Western Illinois for Darius Joiner.

Darius Joiner, a defensive back from Handley High, is enjoying a phenomenal season for Western Illinois.

Joiner is Western Illinois’ leading tackler, and he has been in double digits in tackles in nearly every game this season.

During one memorable game against Youngstown State, Joiner had 23 total tackles including 14 solo stops, and he had 12 tackles against Ball State and Montana.

Following the game against Youngstown State, a 38-35 come-from-behind victory for Western Illinois, Joiner was named the Missouri Valley Conference defensive player of the week.

Late in the game with Western Illinois clinging to a threepoint lead, Joiner made a tackle with less than two minutes left to force a turnover on downs.

“We are all very proud of the consistent fight and effort Darius showed on Saturday,” Western Illinois head coach Jared Elliott said. “He represents what being a Leatherneck is all about.”

Joiner, reflecting on what the award meant to him, said “I am very grateful and honestly just want to do anything I can to help the team. I personally do not think about stats or tackles, just ways to make an impact so we can get the job done.” Joiner, who helped Handley win a state championship in 2016, was at Jacksonville State from 2017 to 2019 before transferring to Western Illinois.

Joiner was red-shirted in 2017, and he saw limited playing time in 2018 and 2019 before deciding to transfer.

Western Illinois didn’t play in the fall of 2020 because of COVID-19, but it did play a seven-game spring schedule this year.

Joiner didn’t play in the spring, and he’s making up for lost time this fall.

Although Joiner is a senior, he has one season of eligibility remaining should he choose to return in 2022.