By Lee Davis
One of the first things you notice about Homewood’s Chestin Jones is his unusual first name.
“My father’s name is Chester,” Jones explained last week. “When I was born, they didn’t want to name me ‘Chester,’ but they wanted something similar. So they came up with ‘Chestin.’”
If you see Jones on the football field, the first thing you might notice is his effectiveness in running the ball. Patriot coach Ben Berguson thinks Jones’ productivity could be the key to his team’s season in 2016.
“Chestin is probably our best athlete,” Berguson said. “As he goes, so goes our offense. He’s a tremendous player and a great young man and we are expecting a lot from him. And that’s the way he wants it.”
Jones’ statistics from Homewood’s 9-3 season last year aren’t eye-popping, largely because the Patriots had multiple weapons in their offense. He gained 313 yards, averaging 4.8 points a game with four touchdowns. His best game came in Homewood’s 27-3 rout of Jackson-Olin, when he gained 76 yards on 10 carries, including a 50-yard touchdown run.
“My goal is to rush for 1,000 yards,” Jones said. “For me, that would be a personal milestone. But by far the most important thing is helping our team any way I can.”
Jones’ football career began at the age of 6, when he played for the East Lake Cowboys. He started as an offensive lineman. When Jones was 10 years old, his family moved to Homewood and coaches discovered his skills as a running back. That’s the position he has played ever since.
Fortunately, Jones isn’t the only outstanding back that the Patriots will call upon in the new season. Junior Nick McCoy and sophomore David Robertson have outstanding potential. Inexperience in the offensive line could be an issue, but Jones doesn’t think that will be a problem.
“Our coaches will do a great job with our young linemen,” he said. “So we can’t worry about that. Our job is to gain as much yardage as we can on every play with no excuses. It’s a challenge that I think we can handle.”
Homewood’s season ended with a heartbreaking 40-39 loss to perennial Class 6A superpower Clay-Chalkville in a game the Patriots could easily have won. Jones said the memory of that stinging defeat will serve as a motivator this time around.
“We think about it every day,” he said. “It’s tough to look back on a game and say, ‘If we had done this or that, we would have won.’ The past can’t be changed, but we can use it as an incentive to pay attention to the details and get better every day.”
The Patriots have won exactly nine games in each of the past four seasons, and Jones would like to be part of the group that raises that total into double digits.
“Winning nine games a year is good, but we think we can do better,” he said. “We want to be in a position to play for a championship. You can’t do that by winning only nine games.”
Jones’ favorite professional player is Houston Texans wide receiver Braxton Miller. The choice of Miller may be surprising, considering his college was Ohio State, which isn’t exactly the most popular team in the state of Alabama.
But Jones is quick to make the distinction. “Just because Braxton Miller is my favorite player doesn’t mean Ohio State is my favorite team,” he said, laughing. “I make sure people know that, because otherwise I get a strange look when I mention Braxton’s name.”
Jones would love a shot at major college football, but he’s taking things as they come.
“All I can do is the best I can and make our team as good as possible. If I do that, the rewards will come,” he said.
Chestin Jones’ first name may be unusual, but if he and Homewood have a big season, every fan in Alabama will know it well.