Bulldogs expecting many more happy returns from Cam Jones

Coaches in the Van Reed youth football league knew years ago what coaches in Section 1 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League have yet to learn: Do. Not. Kick. The. Ball. To. Cam. Jones.

Granted, when Jones was playing Mighty Mites, lined up along the back line for kickoffs, most other kids usually weren’t strong enough to reach him.

“It was kind of a miracle if it got back there,” he joked.

What Jones did last season as a junior at Wilson was nothing short of miraculous.

He returned seven kicks — three kickoffs, four punts — for touchdowns. That’s almost assuredly a Berks record.

Even more incredible: Jones had six other return touchdowns called back by penalty. That’s a feat also likely unmatched in Berks history.

“I feel like all of them are going to the house,” Jones said after taking a pair of kicks back for scores against Cedar Crest, part of a stretch that saw him post scoring returns in four straight games.

Returning kickoffs is entirely different than returning punts. On kickoffs there’s time to catch the ball, look upfield and pick out blocks.

On punt returns there’s no such luxury. Coverage guys can be on top of you the moment you touch the ball. And securing it safely is no easy task; catching a high, tumbling punt may be the most difficult skill in all of football.

Both jobs require speed, strength, savvy, burst, the ability to make people miss . . . and courage. Plenty of the latter.

The 5-11, 185-pound Jones checks all the boxes.

“(Returning) punts is a lot more nerve-racking,” he said. “The ball’s traveling down to you from 40, 50 feet in the air.

“Also, you have gunners on the side who are coming to take your head off. It’s a lot harder than kickoffs.

“(On kickoffs) you have time to catch the ball and maybe run 15 yards before someone’s even close to (making) contact with you.”

Challenging as it can be Jones is thrilled to have the chance.

“Most kids don’t get a chance to make a big play in the game,” he said. “For me to have more than one chance to make that play is amazing.”

Jones handles both return duties with aplomb. He’s so patient and calm you’d think he’s handled hundred of kicks, but he didn’t get his first chance until the final game of his sophomore season, at Manheim Central. Wilson’s regular return guy was dinged up, so head coach Doug Dahms sent Jones out there.

The coach’s eyes widened when Jones took the first ball kicked to him back to the end zone.

“We didn’t know (he could do that),” Dahms said. “He had never shown that before.”

A little later that game Jones showed it again, taking another punt all the way back.

“That was my first time with the ball that entire year,” said Jones, who started at cornerback. “When I got it and I scored I was really excited. My first time in the end zone in high school; it was like a dream come true.”

That dream was dashed by a yellow flag, taking points off the board. Same thing happened on his second return: Wiped out.

“If it gets called back, it is deflating,” he said. “It’s heartbreaking.”

Jones regularly broke opponents’ hearts last season when he scored 12 touchdowns — three receiving, two running, seven on returns — to fuel Wilson’s drive to a second straight Section 1 title and a spot in the District 3 Class 6A championship game. He was a true triple threat, as a lockdown corner, receiver and kick returner.

Actually, he was a quadruple talent, earning four spots on the Section 1 all-league team: first-team defensive back, kick returner and athlete and second-team wide receiver. No other player in the Lancaster-Lebanon League, in any section, was recognized more than three times.

It’s no wonder so many college coaches seek his services. He has received more than a dozen Division I scholarship offers. Last week he narrowed his list to a Final Four that includes Army, Navy, Holy Cross and Richmond. Obviously education will be a key component of his decision; each of his finalists are top academical schools.

“That’s one of the biggest things I’m looking for,” he said.

It’s also no coincidence two of his finalists are military academies (he was also offered by Air Force). His father Jeremy is a Marine veteran, as was his father, Chris Jones. Service runs deep in his family.

Wherever he ends up playing Cam Jones will likely return kicks. He has 4.48 speed and an uncanny ability to be patient before making his move.

“It’s like running the ball,” he said. “You have to wait for your block. Coach ‘Steiny’ (Mark Steinmyer, the Bulldogs wide receivers coach) tells us to be patient, patient, patient. Once you see a hole, that’s when you hit it. (That knack) with a lot of reps.”

Of all the penalties called on Jones’ kick returns last season none hurt more than the last, in the district title game at Harrisburg.

With the Bulldogs trailing 14-10 late in the game Jones fielded a punt inside his 10 and found an opening along the sideline. He made a move toward daylight and thought he was gone. He saw nothing but 90 yards of green, unoccupied turf ahead.

Before he could take off a Harrisburg defender reached out and pulled Jones down by his facemask; the Cougars were penalized on the play.

“He got lucky and pulled it,” Jones said. “It’s kind of cheap, but in his eyes it’s a good play; if he doesn’t do that they could possibly lose the game. It’s down to ‘What if’ at that point, but I could’ve gotten to the end zone and we could’ve had a gold medal around our necks.”