ALTON – Marquette Catholic's Xavior Jones has been a big part of the Explorer program the past few seasons.
Now Jones will get a chance to show off his talents at the next level, signing a letter of intent to attend St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, in a ceremony at Marquette Tuesday afternoon to be a part of the Fighting Bees' football program beginning this coming season.
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“I was pretty happy with this class,” said Explorer coach Darrell Angleton. “We've got four or five guys who are going to play; it's great to see Xavior got committed to St. Ambrose and able to move on to the next level.”
St. Ambrose is a NAIA school that competes in the Mid-States Football Association; among the schools in their division of the league are Chicago-area schools such as Olivet Nazarene (where the Chicago Bears have held training camp for several years) and Robert Morris; schools such as Missouri Baptist in St. Louis and Lindenwood-Belleville are also part of the association.
Football has been a big part of Jones' life; he came to Marquette because of the environment at the school. “It's like a family environment here,” Jones said. “I felt welcome here.”
When asked what he would remember of his time playing football at Marquette, Jones said “making new friends and playing with my brothers.”
Jones has played on the defensive side of the ball as an outside linebacker; last season, he recorded 50 tackles, 28 solo and 22 assisted with four tackles for loss and two sacks.
“He’s been an (important) part of our defense,” said Explorer defensive coordinator Ryan Johnson. “We tried to use our weak-side linebackers more of a rush-type end hybrid; you see a lot of teams, especially in college and the NFL going to a little-bit smaller, little bit undersized, but still physical enough to get the job done and fast enough to get a good pass rush.
“He had over 140 tackles combined over the last two years, quite a few sacks; he put on a lot of pressure on other teams’ quarterbacks to get rid of the ball.”
“Xavior has exemplified a work ethic and level of intensity,” Angleton said. “He was a little undersized when he came in as a freshman and didn't let that get into his way. I coached him at the youth level (with the Alton Renegades program), so I knew Xavior coming in; I knew what to expect.
“He played himself into an outstanding outside linebacker; he was kind of like a strong safety pulled up. He's got a real nose for the ball.”
Angleton projects Jones as playing cornerback or at safety at St. Ambrose. “He's been running track the past couple of years and really increased his speed and intensity,” Angleton said. “You could see him as a cornerback or in the safety position; he's been all-(Prairie State) conference the last two years.
“I'm really excited; I remember him as a Little Renegade guy and playing middle linebacker; he's been playing football for a long time. It's just a great cap to his football career.”
“I'm really looking forward to the opportunity,” Jones said. He plans on majoring in sports management at St. Ambrose with the aim of going into coaching after graduation.
