Cardinal O'Hara High (Pa.) senior running back/defensive back Kevin Jones was watching last year's McDonald's All-American High School Basketball Game on TV when he came across an idea more than a few players, coaches and fans of high school football have had over the past few years.

Why don't they do this for football, he thought.

Well, this year they are, and Jones will be a featured attraction. Fox Sports Net will broadcast the first-ever National High School Football All-Star Game on Dec. 30

	Cardinal O'Hara High (Pa.) running back Kevin Jones is one of three finalists for the Northeast region High School Heisman trophy.

from Dallas, Texas, and Jones recently accepted an invitation to play for the East squad.

Jones is also a finalist for the first-ever High School Heisman award, which will be given to the outstanding football player in each of the nation's six regions - Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, South, Midwest, Southwest and Far West. Jones, along with Erie Cathedral Prep (Pa.) lineman Charles Rush and Amityville High (N.Y.) running back Eugene Nottingham, is a finalist for the honor in the Northeast.

Jones, who made his mark in his sophomore and junior seasons at Cardinal O'Hara with back-to-back 2,000-yard seasons, is widely considered the top running back in the East.

"He has size, strength and speed," says O'Hara coach George Stratts, who credits Jones' play in the secondary with helping to stabilize the Lions' defense. "I don't know too many kids his size who can run as fast as he does. ... Actually, I don't know anybody (who can)."

Jones fell short of a third 2,000-yard rushing performance this season, mostly due to an ankle injury he suffered in the first quarter of the Lions' opening-game win over Springfield High. It turned out to be a nagging concern all year, but Jones still managed to run for 1,270 yards and 18 touchdowns.

"I knew that it wouldn't be 100 percent, but I blocked it out," says Jones, who led the Lions to a 9-2 record. "The second game, I should have sat out."

Jones gained more than 100 yards in each of the final six games of the season, scoring 13 touchdowns in that span. And he made sure his legacy would include one final, glorious chapter in the Catholic League Red Championship game against St. Joe's Prep. The Hawks came into the game with an 11-0 record and a No. 3 ranking in the Philadelphia Football Top 10, but Jones racked up 206 all-purpose yards and scored four touchdowns - two rushing, one receiving and one on a return - as O'Hara shocked St. Joe's, 35-10.

The win was a perfect ending to Jones' record-setting career, and it was all the more sweet considering it came against St. Joe's. The Hawks are perennial league favorites, and O'Hara was 0-for-3 in the league titles department during Jones' career. But Jones, who says he takes games against St. Joe's "personally" because of the rivalry between the two schools, blocked out the pain in his ankle and had his best game of the season.

"My goal this season was to help us win the Catholic League championship," says Jones, who gained 5,730 rushing yards and scored 84 touchdowns in his four-year varsity career. "That was what was missing."

Jones has been on the wish lists of several major Division I programs the past two seasons. He was considering Tennessee, Florida State, Notre Dame, Penn State and Virginia Tech, but Jones took his official visit to Virginia Tech over the weekend of Dec. 16 and now says it's between Tech and Penn State. He says he'll make his decision about a week after he visits Penn State on Jan. 13.

The Heisman finalists - and winners - were selected by SchoolSports.com, and the six regional winners will be honored during the game by the Downtown Athletic Club.

Jones, taking a cue from Hollywood's best, says he's just happy to be nominated.

"It's a great honor," says the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Jones. "The best in college receive the Heisman, so the best in high school should receive it as well. It's the biggest award I've ever had (if I win)."