He has been described as a “nightmare.”
The kind of kid who “commands” attention.
Yet, for all the sleepless nights and gray hairs Kent-Meridian High’s David Jones has caused for those outside the East Hill school, one thing remains clear:
The recently graduated senior has been a dream come true for the Royals.
On the football field last fall, Jones, a quarterback, was named the South Puget Sound League North Division’s Co-Offensive Back of the Year after torching virtually every defense opponents presented. He passed for 1,009 yards and nine touchdowns and added 1,444 yards on the ground with 22 more scores. He finished with 2,453 total yards, numbers that put the Royal among the league’s all-time top 10 in total offense.
As good as Jones was with his golden right arm — one that can deliver 60-yard darts with ease — he was even better with his blazing speed.
Add it up, and there wasn’t a more dangerous person on the gridiron.
“We didn’t do very good against him,” said Kentlake coach Chris Paulson, whose team was burned by Jones to the tune of 370 total yards and six touchdowns (three passing and three rushing). “He was just a nightmare. He completely changed what we had been doing in the previous eight weeks defensively. You just can’t match him man-to-man. You have to have two, three, or four guys responsible for him.”
Though football was Jones’ choice of sports, he also delivered on the track, where he helped Kent-Meridian win its first state team title in school history. Jones ran the opening leg on K-M’s 4 x 100 relay team, which grabbed a fifth-place finish — a performance that ultimately cemented the Royals as the team champions.
“My goal this year was just to shine,” said the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Jones, a kid who has bled Kent-Meridian’s red, white, and blue since entering the school four years ago.
Jones, however, did more than just shine. He beamed brighter than any athlete in the Kent Valley. And he did so with a humble, team-first approach that epitomized his quiet, workmanlike attitude.
Because of all Jones was able to accomplish, both on the field and in the classroom, where he sports a 3.5 grade-point average, the K-M standout has been selected as the Kent Reporter’s Male Athlete of the Year.
Jones graduated from Kent-Meridian last weekend with eight varsity letters, several all-league accolades in football, seven state medals in track, and more gaudy statistics than the back of a Dan Marino football card.
And though Jones certainly left his mark on the track, he will be remembered most for his exploits at French Field on Friday nights.
“When we played them, he commanded the whole defense’s attention,” Kentwood coach Rex Norris said, noting Jones’ 334-yard, three touchdown performance against a staunch Conqueror defense. “He has such a vision and ability to accelerate into the area he saw that is unrivaled by anyone I have ever coached against.
“He’s as close to a Michael Vick as anyone I will ever coach against.”
Jones will play at Portland State next year on a full-ride scholarship, though several bigger college programs came his way, including Washington and Washington State.
The right offer never came for the standout Royal, who chose Portland State because it offered the best package and indicated that he would be playing quarterback in the near future. In the upcoming season, Jones will slot as a wide receiver with plans of moving into a quarterback role the following year.
Through the recruiting process, Jones had his heart set on the University of Oregon.
“There is a little disappointment (that I won’t be going to Oregon),” said Jones, a polite sort and devout Christian. “But I waited until my senior year to basically develop. You can’t really do that in one year and expect something to happen. I talked with the Oregon coaches, University of Washington coaches, Nevada coaches … they all just didn’t have the scholarships.”
Until school begins in the fall, Jones has no plans of celebrating what has been a massively successful prep career. Instead, the 18-year-old will continue to work on his chiseled physique (he can bench press more than 300 pounds), break down game film, and remain in Kent soaking up the final days of living at home with his mom and dad.
“I am really down to earth,” he said. “More than anything else, I just want to stay at home as long as I can and hang out with my parents.”
“He’s always been a special kid,” said Jones’ dad, David Jones Sr. “There’s just something about him.”
Something about him that has caused many sleepless nights and gray hairs to his opponents.
But for those inside the Kent-Meridian community, Jones will always remain one thing:
A dream.
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