Jerry Jones’ grandson led his Dallas high school to a state championship Friday night while becoming the first quarterback to throw for more than 500 yards in a University Interscholastic League Texas state title game.
But that was only icing on the cake for Highland Park senior John Stephen Jones in a 53-49 victory over Manvel in the Class 5A Division I championship game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the home of his grandfather’s Dallas Cowboys.
Highland Park was down 49-39 with three minutes to play.
“It shows we have no quit. We’ll never count ourselves out,” said John Stephen Jones, according to The Dallas Morning News. “It’s really special.”
Jones, a 5-10, 180-pounder who has received scholarship offers from Arkansas, Texas Tech and SMU, finished with 564 yards and 4 touchdowns on 37-of-58 passing, capping it with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Cade Saustad with 34 seconds left. Jones previously had completed a 28-yard pass on fourth and 15 from the Manvel 39 to keep the drive alive.
Highland Park left just enough time on the clock to give Manvel a chance for its own heroics.
Jalen Preston, a receiver committed to Texas A&M, took Manvel to the 1 with a 30-yard reception, but he was tackled as the clock ran out.
Santa Clowney
Jadeveon Clowney knows how to turn trash into treasure.
Jacksonville fans sent trash cans to the Houston Texans defensive end after he called Jaguars’ quarterback Blake Bortles “trash” after the teams’ game last Sunday.
When the trash cans arrived at NRG Stadium in Houston on Friday, Clowney decided to fill them up, posting a photo on Twitter with both of them and a van filled with assorted toys and gifts.
“Thank you @Jaguars fans for sending trash cans to NRG! It inspired me to fill them and an entire truck with toys to turn a negative situation into a blessing for some deserving women and children at @MissionOfYahweh in Houston,” Clowney tweeted.
Bonnie Upright, a public relations professional in Jacksonville, claims to have come up with the idea to send Clowney trash cans, which she said just popped into her head early Thursday morning.
“It’s Christmas. It’s the season of giving,” said Upright, who formerly worked with the Blake Bortles Foundation. “Let’s have a little fun with it. So I did.
“I was respectful. I didn’t go at [Clowney] personally. Didn’t say anything hateful or mean. I just wished him a merry Christmas from a trash-loving Jaguars fan.”
Paying the price
Most golfers like short par 3s, but West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice probably wishes No. 18 at the Greenbrier Classic in 2015 was a little longer — 33 yards longer to be exact.
Justice’s charity promised fans at the 18th hole $100 for the first hole-in-one and $500 for the second in 2015. Professionals George McNeill and Justin Thomas aced the 137-yard hole, forcing the charity to give almost $200,000 to fans around the green.
The charity took out an insurance policy on the payouts, but a federal appeals court said the policy covered only holes at least 170 yards long.
Old White Charities Inc. accused the insurer of breach of contract for not covering the payout, but the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected that claim late last week.
Quote of the day
“He looks like he really enjoys playing with these guys. It’s really fun to watch but not fun to play
against.”
Northwestern Coach Chris Collins on Oklahoma’s Trae Young, who had 31 points and 12 assists in a 104-78 loss to the Sooners on
Friday night.