Two of the team leaders — on and off the football field — for this year’s varsity football team at the King’s Academy are a pair of four-year starters, who are also co-captains of the team. They are senior quarterback Joe Dailey and senior wide receiver/cornerback Javian Jones.
Dan Burack, the head football coach at TKA, has nothing but strong words of praise for both players, who lead by example at all times.
“Joe sees the whole field while in the pocket and can quickly make the correct decision to run or pass. He passes the ball very well and is a strong runner,” Burack said. “Javian has great hands and can run, too. Both players are hard workers.”
According to Burack, both are committed to the current and future success of the TKA football program.
“Just recently, both Joe and Javian were speaking with a group of middle school football players about what it takes to be successful in football here at King’s,” Burack added.
In addition to being four-year varsity starters, both players have strong grade point averages, and both want to play collegiate football, hopefully at the same college.
According to Burack, both are on the radar screen for Florida International University. Dailey has received interest from Harvard, while Western Michigan University is looking at Jones.
Thanks in large part to the efforts of Dailey and Jones, this year’s TKA team is off to a perfect 5-0 start to the season. The most recent victory was against Inlet Grove High School. The Lions defeated Inlet Grove, 17-0, on Monday, Sept. 30. The Lions will pursue their sixth win of the season on Friday, Oct. 4, when they host Joshua Christian Academy for homecoming.
To date, both Dailey and Jones are having strong statistical seasons. As a quarterback, Dailey is completing 61 percent of his passes. He has thrown nine touchdown passes and is averaging 171 yards passing per game. Jones is having a great year as a wide receiver. Through the first five games, he is averaging more than 100 yards receiving per game. He has six touchdown receptions. One of his touchdown catches was for 92 yards in the game against Gulliver Prep. As a defensive back, Jones has three interceptions.
Both players also speak highly of one another.
“Javian has great speed, has a high football IQ, and can get open downfield,” Dailey said.
“Joe reads the field very well, and he often knows who is going to be open by looking at the defense’s formation before the snap,” Jones noted.
Their familiarity with one another extends beyond the football field to the basketball court. Both play on the school’s varsity basketball team.
In football, Dailey is always passing the ball to Jones. In basketball, the opposite is true, since Jones is a point guard, who is often passing the ball to Dailey, a shooting guard.
The two football areas where Dailey and Jones are not on the same page are when it comes to college football and the NFL. Dailey likes Penn State and the San Francisco 49ers, while Jones is a fan of the University of Florida and the Baltimore Ravens.
Both Daily and Jones will be looking to lead the Lions deep in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s (FHSAA) Class 2A playoffs. In last year’s playoffs, the Lions reached the Region 3 semifinals, where they lost 49-7 to American Heritage-Delray.
Don’t be surprised if the Lions go further in the postseason this year, and if they do, expect Dailey and Jones to have a big role in the team’s success.
