San Marino High first-year football coach Dujuawn “DJ” Jones got smart when he took over the program, searching for the best athletes on campus and getting their friends on the football team to lobby for them to come out.
What’s happened this season is pretty extraordinary. Aided by nearly a dozen baseball players, San Marino’s football team is off to a 6-0 start. The quarterback, Parker Wilson, is the starting catcher for the baseball team. There are also wrestlers, basketball players and track athletes on the team.
The joke is whether the majority of players are talking about the Dodgers or the Rams during practices.
“We try to do some of the teachings more like in baseball terms,” Jones said. “We want our kids to play other sports.”
There are lots of baseball players around the Southland having big seasons playing football, from Capistrano Valley quarterback Talon Spencer to Corona del Mar receiver JJ Haley to Hart running back Matix Frithsmith to La Canada quarterback Joe Bell to Palos Verdes running back Christian Weis.
The only question left to ask regarding San Marino is how many of the football players are visiting the batting cage before practice?
“Right now they’re not missing too much,” Jones said.
If only the baseball players playing the sport 365 days a year knew what fun they are missing out on.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
