Jones Heads New Era at Collinsville

Kevin Jones was promoted from defensive coordinator to the Cardinals' head coach this spring. Can he lead the Collinsville to the top of 5A?

Thursday, July 28th 2011, 5:43 pm

By: News On 6

Originally Published: Aug 24, 2010 10:15 PM CDT

Bobby Lewis
Oklahoma Sports Mobile Journalist

COLLINSVILLE, Oklahoma – After leading the Collinsville Cardinals to a 6-5 record, a playoff berth and nearly a first round upset over Sallisaw, Lance West decided to step away from the football field in favor of a desk job.

West took over as the Assistant Superintendent for Collinsville Schools this fall. His replacement on the field was one the players were familiar with.

Kevin Jones was the man for the job. He was excited to get it, he just didn’t know it was going to be so costly. After receiving the promotion in the spring, Jones’ wallet got a little bit lighter.

“My friends we're talking about the whirlwind that happens after you get the job,” he said. “All of a sudden my phone bill triples with all of the calls. But, it has been awesome.”

After spending a few seasons as the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator, the transition to head coach wasn’t a hard one.

“It's really not much more different. It's a little bit more planning on my spot,” said Jones. “We haven't changed a lot on offense and we haven't changed at all on defense. It's pretty much titles that have changed, but its business as usual.”

His first season as the head man can’t get here soon enough. Collinsville opens the season at home against Mannford on September 3rd.

“I'm anxious, I just can't wait for it to get here,” smiled Jones. “At the same time, I've got to be patient, because I know we are not ready yet. We've still got a lot of work to do between now and Week One.”