Coach's return uncertain

Adrian Jones wants to return to coach the San Jon/Grady six-man football team this fall. Whether he will appears uncertain.

The San Jon school district placed an advertisement in last week’s Quay County Sun, requesting applications to fill a coaching vacancy for its six-man football team. The start date would be Aug. 1. The opening was not listed on the district’s job-opportunities section of its website.

However, Jones said he did not resign, nor was his coaching contract nonrenewed, by the school district.

Jones said in a telephone interview the district’s athletic director, Brenda Gaither, asked him March 19 to submit a letter-of-interest for his football-coaching position. Jones said Thursday he was preparing such a letter.

“I’m definitely still interested,” he said.

The coaching position is the only district position held by Jones, whose fulltime vocation is truck driver.

San Jon Municipal Schools Superintendent Janet Gladu, after answering an initial email Thursday about the opening, didn’t reply to a follow-up email later that day that asked her to clarify Jones’ status with the Bronchos program.

San Jon football, which has a cooperative agreement with Grady, finished 4-5 last year with a 2-2 record in district play. It lost 72-36 to Springer/Maxwell in the six-man football state quarterfinals.

Jones played wide receiver and defensive back for a Tucumcari High School football team that won the state championship in 2002 and finished runner-up in 2006.