STUART – A culture is brewing right now at South Fork.
This is the primary focus for Bulldogs 2024 edge rusher Jonas Barros, who will be counted on to be a team leader in more ways than one. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound defender has proven himself to be a program builder already in a sense, as evidenced by his first college offer from Ave Maria on June 3.
Barros, who has also gained college interest from Holy Cross and Wabash, spoke on his Ave Maria offer.
“They are a Catholic school and are located in Florida,” he said. “I got my offer after attending their camp. I love the school and the area it’s in.”
Barros earned this college football opportunity by way of his play this past season. As a junior, he recorded the following statistics in four starts:
•46 tackles
•19 solo tackles
•27 assisted tackles
•18 tackles for loss
•11 quarterback hits
•5.5 sacks
•1 forced fumble
•1 forced recovery
The best individual game for Barros came in Week 11 against Jupiter. Here are his statistics:
•17 tackles
•8 solo tackles
•9 assisted tackles
•5 tackles for loss
•1 quarterback hit
•1 forced fumble
Provided photos
Barros played at the defensive end position last season. But for this upcoming season, he will be switching to linebacker.
We were able to see a little bit of this move at the Keiser 7-on-7 Tournament last month, which South Fork was a key participant in.
“In the Keiser Tournament, I was able to practice on reading the field and perfecting my zone drop so I don’t have passes getting caught behind me,” Barros said.
Barros revealed his strengths and areas to be strengthened at the linebacker position.
Barros on his strong points:
“One of my biggest strengths as a linebacker is my ability to fill the hole,” he said. “I also feel that I have good lateral quickness and rarely get beat to the edge.”
Barros on what he can sharpen:
“I need to work on my speed off the ball because that could really elevate my game,” he said. “I also need to be better at reading the guards and figuring out where the ball is going.”
Barros spoke on how his summer has been going to date.
“I’ve been to a couple camps this summer, which went well,” he said. “I was able to see how I match up with the other linebackers. Our one 7-on-7 tournament didn’t go the way we wanted, but it was good for us to get the experience. Workouts have been going great. We’re creating a culture at South Fork and the summer has been the perfect way of building and improving.”
Barros, who has goals of registering at least 115 tackles and making the Treasure Coast All-Area team for his senior season, delved in a little bit as to what the culture is becoming at South Fork.
“We’re trying to become better every day,” he said. “Over the summer, we’ve started to run our summer workouts similar to a college program, with meetings, lifting, field training, and team training. We want players to be able to transition from South Fork straight to college football seamlessly.”
Barros spoke on how South Fork head coach and alum Antwan Blatch and his staff are helping to make this culture a reality.
“All of our coaches have been putting in the late hours and grinding everyday to build the culture we want at South Fork,” said Barros, who hopes to help his team win the three-team District 12-3S title over Jensen Beach and Port St. Lucie this season. “They’ve made us set clear goals for ourself and the team and push us to get better everyday. I wouldn’t be the player I am now without them.”
