Jones hopeful video delivers in UPS contest

BAR HARBOR – A video featuring Mount Desert Island High School football standout Terrence Jones returning an interception 57 yards for a touchdown this past season is one of eight finalists in the 2007 UPS Delivery Intercept Challenge Bowl.

The nationwide contest is a search for the best all-time interceptions in amateur football. Fans may view all eight of this year’s finalists and vote for their favorite by going to www.ups.com/challenge. Voting continues through Jan. 4.

Those who submitted the finalist videos are competing for the grand prize of $25,000 in cash, a $10,000 donation to their favorite high school or youth football program and a tailgate party with former NFL quarterback Archie Manning. Manning and New England Patriots linebacker Rosevelt Colvin were among the judges who selected the finalists.

Second- and third-place prize winners, and the five remaining finalists, all will earn cash prizes and the opportunity to direct donations to their favorite football programs.

The Jones video was submitted by MDI freshman football coach and varsity assistant Duane Crawford of Lamoine, and was selected from among 176 videos submitted from July 30 through Dec. 3.

The contest was divided into four quarters, with two videos selected as finalists from each of four time periods – July 30 through Sept. 3, Sept. 4 through Oct. 8, Oct. 9 through Nov. 5, and Nov. 6 through Dec. 3. The MDI video was selected as a third-quarter finalist based on when it was submitted.

“I was really shocked when they called me [Dec. 14] and said it was one of the finalists,” Crawford said.

The nominated play came during the second quarter of the Trojans’ 38-18 victory over Oak Hill of Sabattus on Sept. 29 and gave MDI a 19-12 halftime lead.

“It was a critical turnover at that stage of the game,” said Crawford. “It put us on top and gave us some momentum.”

Oak Hill had the ball near midfield, and Jones, a junior safety from Bar Harbor, was charged with guarding against running backs coming out on short pass routes.

“I was pretty mad because they weren’t passing the ball,” said Jones. “They had a huge fullback, and they were just driving up the field and it was getting annoying. I was coming on a blitz on that play, but I saw the quarterback roll out like he was going to pass, so I backed off and covered the running back coming out into the flat.”

The pass came to Jones along the left sideline. After he made the interception, he worked his way across the field before racing down the right sideline to the end zone.

“I was right in front of their bench when I caught it, and then I cut across the field,” said Jones. “I just remember I saw daylight, and I had the mentality that I was going for the touchdown.”

Among Crawford’s duties with the team is processing videotape of the MDI games on digital equipment, and he also creates highlight tapes for players that they can send along to colleges if they are considering extending their playing careers beyond high school.

He had been told of the UPS contest by e-mail earlier in the year, and as he was deleting e-mails from his computer he came across the notification of the contest. He remembered the Jones interception and thought it was worthy of submitting.

“One of the areas judged was the quality of the film, and this was a good video shot at a good angle,” said Crawford. “You could also hear the announcers describing the play in the background, so there was a lot to it.”

Jones, who also caught five passes for 79 yards and a touchdown in the Oak Hill victory, went on to earn All-Pine Tree Conference Class B status on both offense and defense for coach Mark Shields’ club, which earned its second straight postseason appearance this fall.

Jones learned that the video of his interception had been submitted to the contest from his teammate and Crawford’s son, quarterback Tyler Crawford.

“I’m very excited about it,” Jones said. “When he told me that his dad had entered it, I never thought it would be a finalist. Now I think it’s pretty cool that my video is online.”