Jones Era ends with another victory
By: Rudy Brandl
The Hillsborough High seniors didn’t just leave the field in style with last Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day football victory over Montgomery. They and the rest of their football teammates entered the field with plenty of pomp and circumstance, emerging from an impressive new tunnel through a cloud of smoke.
"It felt great," HHS senior four-year player Warner Jones said. "We felt like an NFL team coming out like that."
"That was great," fellow senior Joe Banaciski added. "It really pumped me up. It was exciting to come out for your last game like that."
Touchdown Club president Bruce Wayne came up with the tunnel idea after seeing it at various college facilities, including Lafayette, where his older son Bruce Jr. played. He did some research online and ordered the tunnel early in the season. The tunnel arrived a few weeks ago but Wayne wanted to save it for the last game on Thanksgiving Day.
"We wanted to raise the enthusiasm," said Wayne, the TD Club president for the past 11 years. "When the kids saw it getting blown up, they got all pumped up. It adds to the atmosphere. We’re real happy with it. Everybody loves it."
The tunnel fits right in with the first-class aura of David A. Noonan Field. Hillsborough already boasts a top-notch turf field and an impressive pole barn conditioning facility. The tunnel, which is 33 feet long and 11 feet high and extends to the field after a 100-foot walkway from the locker room, adds a new dimension.
The Touchdown Club purchased the tunnel with funds raised from Raider Cards and advertisements in the media guide. The cost was approximately $7,000.
"This was bought through our funds," Wayne said. "We appreciate the town’s support. We can’t do any of this without them."
Wayne added that Touchdown Club vice president Diane Mehltretter and treasurer Diane Hawzen helped with the funding.
The Raiders christened their new tunnel with an impressive 14-0 victory. The seniors certainly were playing with an extra dose of adrenaline.
"It was really cool," said senior Adam Mehltretter, whose 26-yard touchdown catch gave the Raiders the lead. "I enjoyed it a lot. It was a great way to end my senior year."
End of Jones Era
Walking, no jogging, out of the HHS complex on the way home for turkey dinner, I ran into Warner Jones Sr., who was understandably feeling a bit nostalgic about watching his youngest son’s final scholastic football game.
The Jones Era of Raider football started in 1991 when Eric became the school’s starting quarterback as a freshman. Eric played in four Turkey Day games vs. Somerville, going 3-1 with victories in 1991, 1993 and 1994. Eric’s last two holiday game victories marked Otto Gsell’s last game as head coach and Rick Mantz’s first year in charge, respectively. Eric went on to enjoy a productive career as a defensive back at Duke University.
After a one-year break without a Jones in 1995, Jared Jones entered HHS as a freshman in 1996. He was a starting wide receiver on the team that advanced all the way to the Central Jersey Group 4 championship game at Giants Stadium before losing to Middletown North.
Jared enjoyed a great four-year career as a Raider, two at wide receiver and two at quarterback. His teams also went 3-1 in the holiday series vs. Somerville. Jared took his talents to Syracuse University as a wide receiver and held a brief stint with the Philadelphia Eagles last year.
Warner may not have enjoyed the great fanfare of his older brothers, but he’s the only Jones to go 4-0 on Turkey Day. Warner’s HHS teams defeated new holiday foe Montgomery the last four years, two of which were losing campaigns. Warner intercepted two passes in his final game to ride out the Jones Era in grand style.
Somehow, the Raiders have found a way to continue winning on Thanksgiving Day. The Jones boys, with a cumulative 10-2 record on the holiday, have played a huge role in that tradition.

