Vo-Tech coach set for season

     By Chris Jones
     View staff writer
      Ask Josh Jones how it feels to burn the candle at both ends.
      As if beginning his first assignment with the Clark County School District as an eighth-grade geography teacher at Cortney Middle School wasn't enough of a challenge, the 23-year-old UNLV graduate has taken on the responsibility of coaching an up-and-coming high school soccer team at Southern Nevada Vocational Technical Center.
      In early August, Jones was hired to replace former Vo-Tech coach Robert Hopkins, who moved to Virginia. Despite the heavy workload, Jones and his new players are optimistic about the 1999 season.
      "When I first talked to the players, they were kind of excited because they didn't think they were going to have a coach since I was hired so late," Jones said. "Now they're getting used to my style."
      Although the job marks Jones' first stint as a head coach, he gained experience on the high school level last year through his work as an assistant at Las Vegas High.
      Carlos Amador, Vo-Tech's athletic administrator, said he saw enough potential in Jones to take a chance on hiring someone without prior head coaching experience.
      "He had previous experience as an assistant coach, and I felt he was ready to take it to the next level," Amador said. "Our team had a 7-7 record last year and we're really close to moving forward. I think Josh has a lot of new ideas that will help us get there."
      Said Jones: "I'm just trying to get the program started and to keep a winning tradition going. Last year they came close to making the playoffs, and I want to keep building things from there."
      Before the ball was dropped for the team's first game last week, Jones had already encountered a number of obstacles. His biggest challenge: getting players from throughout the city to practice sessions at a magnet school.
      "Vo-Tech is such a transient school, so when school isn't in session a lot of the kids live in North Las Vegas," Jones said. "It's hard for them to get here to practice. The majority of the kids don't have cars, so I'm limited in my ability to get them rides."
      Amador acknowledged the problem, although he believes the school has the ability -- and obligation -- to overcome it.
      "A lot of the kids are bused in, but the students want to be more involved," Amador said. "The school is basically here for vocational training, but we have to provide opportunities for extracurricular activities as well."
      Until classes began Aug. 23, Jones could only contact players from last season's roster. He wasn't sure how many students were interested in playing soccer, although he hopes to carry at least 15 players on both the varsity and junior varsity teams. Adding to the challenge is the fact that Jones teaches at another school, which has made it difficult for him to establish lines of communication with his new players.
      "I've talked to (the players) about finding leaders to get everyone warmed up so we can practice as soon as I get there," Jones said. "We're limited in how much practice time we can have because (Vo-Tech) is so far away from home for many of the students that the late bus has to leave at 3:45 or 4 p.m."
      Jones said the school's focus on vocational skills has shifted much of the student body's focus away from sports.
      "It's not really a big sports school, so sometimes the players are attracted to other schools," Jones said. "That's why Vo-Tech hasn't had a strong sports tradition until the last couple of years."
      Fortunately for Jones, the Road Runners have several talented players returning from last year's squad, which barely missed qualifying for the postseason.
      Jones said he expects four seniors -- midfielder Jaime Vargas, defender Dennis Trujillo, forward David Diaz and goalie Miguel Lopez -- to carry much of the load in 1999.
      "The majority of our players are upperclassmen, so we have some pretty strong guys coming back," Jones said. "Jamie is really quick and has a good knowledge of the game. Dennis is very vocal and is probably one of the better defenders in town. In a one-on-one (confrontation), David is more than likely going to put the ball in the net, and Miguel has shown he can be a pretty good goalie."
      Jones said many of his players are involved in soccer outside of the school team, which has made his job easier.
      "I got the job late when a lot of the other schools had already been practicing," Jones said. "(Vo-Tech's athletes) play all the time on their own, so that's going to help me a lot. Many of my kids play on the weekends or in leagues, so their ball skills are good."