Quarterback Blaike Jones is ready to suit up to lead the 2008 Wildcats in their quest for the playoffs.

Blaike Jones was nervous at first when he was called on to take over as starting quarterback for the Wildcats three games into the season last year.

Senior Kyle Barker started the season at quarterback, but Wildcats head coach Greg White decided that since Barker was the fastest and best athlete on the team and the team was lacking at receiver, he would be better off by putting Barker at wideout.

The 5-9 sophomore only weighed about 155 pounds and was concerned he was going to get creamed by a bunch guys who weighed about 100 pounds more than he did coming at him from the line.

"I was so small and seeing those guys come at you was scary at first," Jones said. "I was worried about getting blindsided."

Starting in the super competitive 4A-3 conference was a lot different from junior high but Jones ended up winning his first start, an impressive 42-15 win over Westside in front of a homecoming crowd, and put together a strong season posting 1,500 total yards and earning all-state honors.

Jones has since grown an inch and put on about 15 pounds of muscle in the offseason which should make him a lot more durable this season.

"Last year I benched 180," Jones said. "This year I can bench 220."

White said now that Jones has a year of experience under his belt and has put on some weight, he's expecting even bigger things from the junior.

"As a coach - and I have done this for 14 years. I was an all-state quarterback myself -- I can tell you he is about as good as anything we've had since I've been here. The sky is the limit with him."

White said Jones has adapted well to the new spread offense which the coaching staff continues to fine tune.

"We've changed everything," White said. "We looked at some tape and film from last year since we put this in and we are so much better understanding what we are doing. You can really tell it's been relayed over to our kids.

Jones should get plenty of chances to run and throw the ball.

"We have more depth at running back and have gained at quarterback because Blaike has a year of experience," White said. "He's going to get a lot of carries and he's going to get banged around a little bit. We'd love to throw the ball 25 or 30 times a game if we can."

And if the linemen can focus and compete on every down, White said Jones could have a big year.

"Football is still about blocking and tackling and being tough enough to finish the game," White said. "That is what is going to be what wins and loses games. If we can mix it up a little bit and keep people off balance, we ought to be pretty productive."

"I'd like to get 1,000 yards passing and around 800 rushing," Jones said.

Jones will have plenty of options to make big plays in seniors Joe Turner, Ethan Heavener and Zac Thompson.

"Joe and Ethan are probably going to be my go-to receivers," Jones said. "And Zac Thompson is pretty shifty with his feet at running back."

Although the Wildcats face some tough games against conference powerhouses Osceola and Newport, Jones said seven wins isn't out of reach for the squad.

"I'm pretty excited," Jones said. "I want to get in there and be able to get some big wins and get to the playoffs. I think if we can keep our heads on straight we can do pretty good."