Whataburger Student Athlete of the Month: Queen Creek High School's Carson Jones
Queen Creek High School senior quarterback Carson Jones is the Whataburger Student Athlete of the Month for October. He has helped Queen Creek to a 6-0 start in 2012.
A senior at Queen Creek, Jones quarterbacks the varsity football team. He started eight games as a junior and through the first six games of 2012 had led the Bulldogs to a 6-0 record, throwing eight touchdown passes. Queen Creek coach Joe Germaine said he's continually impressed by Jones' "unbelievable knowledge" of the team's offense but just as much by his on-field leadership.
"He's like a coach out there on the field," Germaine said. "And he plays with a lot of poise. That’s something you can't coach. You either have that or you don't."
More than any personal achievements, though, Jones is concerned about his team's success.
"Our main goal is to win a state championship and we’re not going to do that if I'm just passing all the time and thinking I'm the best player on the team," Jones said.
By traditional measures, Jones owns a perfect 4.0 grade point average. Factor in his honors calculus and economics courses and it's even better.
"He sets the standard," Germaine said.
Jones says he's always put academics first, thanks in large part to examples set by his two older brothers. Jones said he never hesitates to go to teachers and peers for extra help understanding coursework and is just as quick to help others who might seek his help.
Jones says his favorite subject is physics, and he'd like to pursue an engineering degree in college. Not surprisingly, Jones has Stanford atop his list of desired destinations.
Jones is an active member of the community through charity causes and his church. He most recently spent a few hours helping a friend earn an Eagle Scout rank by painting fire lanes and picking up trash in conjunction with a charity run in Queen Creek.
Jones also does yard work for seniors from his church as well as single women without a husband or son around.
"Some people don't have the help around the house or the community they need, so they depend on us to help," Jones said. "So my church has just made me realize how important service is."
FSAZ: What is your proudest moment so far as an athlete?
Jones: My proudest moment would probably be starting my first game on varsity as a junior. We won that game, and I had a pretty decent game, but it was a good team effort. I think I've improved a lot since that start, especially with my coach's help.
FSAZ: How about off the field -- what's your proudest accomplishment as a member of the community?
Jones: Last year we went to St. Vincent hospital and we handed out turkey and boxes of food to people who couldn't afford it. It was really cool just to see all their faces light up and just see them get all this food they had never really had.
FSAZ: What has been the strongest influence in your life to instill a well-rounded focus on sports, academics and community involvement?
Jones: I'd probably say just my family and my church. They have made me see the importance of school and how much it will help me later on in life. It's helped me take it seriously. I'm a student athlete, so student comes first. Grades to me are more important than football right now.
FSAZ to football coach Joe Germaine: From your time around Carson, what experience stands out most to demonstrate the kind of person he is?
Germaine: He is just so aware of the team component. He's aware the team is bigger than any individual. And he's just so aware of others. There was a time where we were eating a team meal at football camp. There was not only our team there but another high school was there with us in the summer. So we all sat down to eat, and as you know in high school you have your little packs of friends that kind of hang out together and sometimes you're in the crowd or you're not. Carson is one of our more popular students and players, but he noticed a young man -- not part of our program, someone he didn't even know -- was sitting off by himself in the dinner room. I just noticed Carson pick up his dinner from sitting with his group of friends and walk over and sit by this guy and eat dinner with him. That was something he didn't have to do. For him to be aware of that, and how this young man might be feeling, just shows how conscious he is of others and wants to make them feel a part of something.
