Ryker Jones ‘back to normal,’ earns Body Zone Physical Therapy Defensive Player of the Week honors
Body Zone Physical Therapy Defensive Player of the Week
It had been more than nine months since Ryker Jones had been able to throw his 6-foot, 190-pound frame into an opposing ballcarrier and drive him to ground.
The Wyomissing senior couldn’t wait for that first hit Saturday in the “Backyard Brawl.”
“I felt like a football player again,” said Jones, an All-State linebacker who suffered a torn ACL and sprained MCL in his left knee late in the Spartans’ PIAA semifinal in December.
Jones certainly looked like a football player again. He didn’t seem to miss a beat, flying around the field to make nine first-half tackles, two for losses, as the Spartans turned back Berks Catholic 35-7.
Jones finished with 11 tackles, four for loss, and a sack to earn Body Zone Physical Therapy Defensive Player of the Week honors, an award he earned three times as a junior.
“It was good to see that he could finally, after that long break, get out there and do it again,” said Wyomissing coach Bob Wolfrum. “He’s moving very well. He doesn’t seem to have any noticeable problems.”
Jones admits he was especially amped for his return. He had trouble sleeping the night before the “Backyard Brawl.” He couldn’t wait to get back out there and it showed in his play. He was not only active running to the ball but visibly excited after making several big stops.
He made a couple tackles on the opening drive of the game, extinguishing any fears the injury would have lingering effects.
“After seeing him make a play where he caught a guy from behind (I thought): ‘Well, he’s back,’ ” said Wolfrum.
“It just felt really good to get one under my belt,” Jones said of his first tackle, “and then I just felt like I was back to normal. I felt like I was never gone. I just felt normal. I felt quick, I felt strong.”
The injury cost Jones, a third baseman and one of the Berks League’s top hitters, his spring and summer baseball seasons.
Despite being sidelined he received several college offers earlier this year and accepted one from Princeton. That was the highlight of an otherwise grueling winter and spring spent rehabbing.
“It’s been really hard,” Jones said of the process required to get back on the field. “There’s been a lot of ups and downs. A lot of waiting. I’m just really thankful to be back on the field and that I’m past that.
“I wasn’t worried. I trusted my knee. I trusted the doctors, the physical therapists, Mr. and Mrs. Yocum (Randy and Laurie) at Body Zone Physical Therapy; they helped me a lot.”
Jones led the Wyomissing with 84 tackles last season — 35 more than anyone else. He was named Body Zone Physical Therapy Defensive Player of the Week three times — no one else was named more than once. He was a first-team all-league pick at linebacker in Section 4.
Players considered for Body Zone Physical Therapy Defensive Player of the Week honors are nominated by their coaches or by members of the MikeDragoSports.com coverage team.
Also nominated this week:
- Luke Impellizzeri, Berks Catholic
- Ousmane Conde, Conrad Weiser
- Anthony High, Daniel Boone
- Nathan Pashley, Exeter
- Tristin McFarland, Fleetwood
- Jason Howland, Gov. Mifflin
- Josiah Urbaez, Muhlenberg
- Lenard Brown, Reading High
- Kowen Gerner, Schuylkill Valley
- Evan Johnson, Twin Valley
- Christo Hunsicker, Wilson
- Ryker Jones, Wyomissing
Selected earlier this season:
- Week 1: Lucas Myers, Twin Valley
- Week 2: Michael Odeyemi, Reading High
- Week 3: Stewie Janowski, Gov. Mifflin
Selected last season as Defensive Player of the Week:
- Week 1: Jonathan Martin, Exeter
- Week 2: Nate Capitano, Wilson
- Week 3: Ethan Kryman, Daniel Boone
- Week 4: Nate Pashley, Exeter
- Week 5: Nafis Blythe, Berks Catholic
- Week 6: Nick Weitzel, Wilson
- Week 7: Ryker Jones, Wyomissing
- Week 8: Drew Eisenhower, Wyomissing
- Week 9: Mason Marks, Twin Valley
- Week 10: Lucas Palange, Exeter
- Week 11: Mason Semmel, Hamburg
- Week 12: Ryker Jones, Wyomissing
