Athlete of the Week: El Camino’s Jonas Junio

“It was wild,” Junio said.

The “church” — Colt Field, the venue where Jacobson, now an assistant coach at El Camino, worked indefatigably for years to have light standards installed at his alma mater EC’s football stadium, a labor of love that at last came to be to start the 2017 season.

The “congregation” — the legions of scarlet-clad Colts fans packing the north bleachers for last Friday’s 2018 non-league football opener.

And the “prayer” — the greatest finish in modern El Camino football history — a 41-yard Hail Mary reception hauled in by the Daily Journal Athlete of the Week, Jonas Junio, on the final play of the game to pull off a miraculous 20-19 win over San Mateo.

“I was taken away by a mob of my teammates,” Junio said of the celebration. “It was pretty cool.”

Just as cool was it was the first game under the team’s new head coach, the hero’s uncle, Archie Junio. No stranger to El Camino, “Arch” has coached at the school since 1999, wearing plenty of different hats over the years, including varsity football assistant coach, junior-varsity football head coach, and both boys’ varsity basketball and girls’ varsity basketball head coach.

One of Archie Junio’s first acts at the varsity football reins was to shake things up at the quarterback position. Last season, Jonas Junio reluctantly inherited the QB job. And with no one champing at the bit to take it from him down the stretch of a disappointing 2017 season, it looked as though the natural running back might ride out the remainder of his varsity career playing out of position.

Then came the arrival of Noel Valdez, who emerged as a junior-varsity freshman quarterback last season. Valdez didn’t really have the experience to run even the JV team last year, never before having played organized football in his life. Yet, his arm strength as a lifelong baseball pitcher and shortstop was basis enough to name him backup QB of the JV Colts as a freshman.

Three games into 2017, the JV Colts starting quarterback Nick Castellanos sustained an injury against Half Moon Bay. It would be the last football game Castellanos played for EC. But it marked the beginning of the Valdez era, as he started the next game, finished the year strong on JV, then was promoted this year as the opening-night starting quarterback for the varsity Colts.

“I told him to move up because I thought he had better skill, better height, better arm,” Jonas Junio said. “… I just felt I could do a lot more for my team as a running back.”

Reverend Junio certainly proved it under the lights of opening night. The highlight-reel topper to close the game was not his only contribution — by far.

In returning to his natural position, the senior running back racked up 233 total yards. He was a workhorse out of the backfield, carrying 22 times for 131 yards. By air, he connected with Valdez to add three catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns, including a 60-yard score earlier in the night on a screen pass which saw him go for the entire 60 on yards after the catch.

“He was everywhere,” Archie Junio said.

The game, however, nearly ended in heartbreak for the Colts. After trailing 13-0 at halftime, El Camino scored 14 unanswered points in the third quarter to take the lead. San Mateo roared back though, executing its final drive of the night to find the end zone with 1:31 remaining in regulation.

Then, trailing 19-14, the Colts had their backs against the wall, facing a third down from the San Mateo 41 with less that a half minute to play. El Camino aired it out on the third-down play, trying for a Hail Mary pass up the left side. Jonas Junio broke free, and had an open look at the end zone as Valdez unloaded his 21st pass attempt of the night — and — the throw fell short of its target, going for an incompletion and forcing fourth down.

“It was a little underthrown, but I had the corner beat,” Jonas Junio said. “So, coach ran it again.

“And it worked.”

Sure enough, offensive coordinator Marcus Roman went right back to the well, loading up the right side with EC’s two best wide outs, junior Javion Tarusan and senior Nick Alvarado, with Jonas Junio again lining up wide left.

Valdez was met with pressure, getting flushed out of the pocket to the left side, against the grain of his right-handed throwing arm. But the sophomore looked downfield and saw Jonas Junio running a near instant replay of the previous down.

“Once I flushed out of the pocket, I looked up,” Valdez said, “he got room behind the corner, I saw him open and I just threw it.”

This time, Valdez heaved a little wobbly but on target.

“I saw the DB not getting back and I was like, ‘hold on, he’s got a chance,’” Archie Junio said.

And — can the Reverend get an “amen?”

Boom!

Jonas Junio hauled it in, Coach Arch threw up his arms in celebration, and the Colts went wild in the wake of a 20-19 victory — surely one of the sweetest in the history of El Camino football.