Unicoi County’s Jones named Week 5 Player of the Week

ERWIN, Tenn. (WJHL) – Last Friday night, the Blue Devils delivered a balanced performance on the road to put away West Greene, 47-18.

“When we kind of evenly split the pass and run game, it’s really hard for the defense to know what’s coming.”

But, when you play Unicoi County, one thing you can surely county on is junior quarterback Kolby Jones.

“When you get in the game – he just kind of has a knack for it,” head coach Drew Rice said.

The ‘it’ is wracking up yards and touchdowns. Jones followed up a five-touchdown performance the week prior with 269 more passing yards and four scores against the Buffs – two through the air and two on the ground.

“We’re able to do a whole lot offensively – just with our schemes in the pass game and the run game – with what he’s able to handle,” Rice explained.

“Kind of just being able to get out of the pocket and make things happen when things collapse a little bit,” Jones said.

The athleticism has always been there, but this season, Jones has put a premium on assessing his opponent while under center.

“Being able to read the defense a little bit better – so it’s a little easier to make things happen,” he added.

“It’s just like anything else – the more reps and more experience at it, you’re going to get better at it,” Rice said. “We’re certainly thankful he’s just a junior.”

There are about 20 seniors on the Devils’ roster this season, and Rice says their leadership is invaluable. But, the leadership provided by the junior signal-caller is just as important.

“He’s a great teammate,” Rice said. “He’s the first guy to take blame when something goes wrong and he’s the first guy to be celebrating somebody else’s success.”

The Blue Devils enter their bye week undefeated at 4-0. They’ll take the field again on Friday, October 4 for a district game against Gatlinburg-Pittman.

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