Oswego East quarterback Tre Jones is quick to point out that he’s a young senior, but even he could see the difference in his game heading into the season.
The Navy recruit is definitely ready to set sail.
“It’s just a matter of experience,” Jones said. “Being able to be a student of the game like I am, it’s really playing chess now.
“You understand and you have a grasp on what you’re doing.”
Jones put that on display Friday night for the Wolves in a 35-7 nonconference victory over Waubonsie Valley in both teams’ season opener.
While Jones threw only six passes for Oswego East (1-0), he completed the first five, including a 31-yard touchdown pass to Mike Polubinski on the game’s first drive.
Jones added an 8-yard TD run in the fourth quarter after Waubonsie (0-1) cut the lead to seven points.
“The conversations we have when he comes off the field are a lot different from they were last year,” Oswego East coach Tyson LeBlanc said. “It’s been that way throughout the course of the summer.”
Some of those conversations revolve around play-calling. The Wolves have a solid running game, so the balance of pass and run may shift this season.
“I think the biggest thing about him that most people don’t realize is he’s the most selfless dude I’ve ever met in that position in terms of if we throw the ball 40 times, awesome,” LeBlanc said. “If we don’t, he’s a team guy.
“That’s what makes him great. That’s why he is who he is.”
After Oswego East started the game with seven straight running plays, Jones got the passing game going. He fired a strike to Polubinski, who had a defender draped all over him, in the front corner of the end zone.
“We’ve been working on that all summer, so I kind of figured it was going to be there,” Jones said. “I put it in the only place my guy could get it, and he made a great play.”
The Wolves took a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter when Zach Polubinski returned an interception 35 yards for a TD. That score stood until Waubonsie’s first possession of the second half.
Luke Elsea connected with Tyler Threat for a 74-yard TD, and suddenly the Warriors were back in the game.
That proved to be the end, however, as Oswego East’s defense held strong the rest of the night.
“Across the board, the defense played pretty well,” LeBlanc said. “We played pretty fast. We played physical. I’m pretty happy with it.
“Overall, I’m pretty happy. To start off scoring 35 points when I think they’re a quality team is good.”
Oswego East controlled the clock and the line of scrimmage with the running game all night.
Oshobi Odior finished with 147 yards on 19 carries. Shifty backup Tyler Bibbs added 91 yards on 10 carries, including late TD runs of 22 and 47 yards, as the Wolves pulled away.
“We haven’t been in that mode for a few years,” LeBlanc said. “For me as the play-caller, I have to get back into that mode of, ‘Hey, we can do this.’ Hopefully we can just do that to people all season.
“We know Oshobi is a load, and then Bibbs came in and he’s a nice change-of-pace guy.”
The increased emphasis on the ground game should only help Jones and the Wolves incorporate play-action passing into the mix as the season rolls on.
“It puts defenses in a bind because you’ve got to pick your poison essentially,” Jones said. “When you impose your will on defenses like that in October and November, playoff football, it’s going to pay off in the pass game.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
