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Yukica Profile: Jack Jones

NOTE: The 2020 Joe Yukica New Hampshire Chapter of the National Football Foundation Scholar/Athlete banquet was cancelled this year because of COVID-19. Each Scholar/Athlete will be recognized with a commemorative program, a plaque and a personal profile that will appear in the program, on the New Hampshire Football Report, the Joe Yukica/New Hampshire Chapter web site (joeyukicafootballfoundation.org) and the Joe Yukica/New Hampshire Chapter Facebook page. This is one in a series of 39 profiles. Once published, each profile can be accessed by clicking on the athlete’s name at the bottom of the page.

JACK JONES
Bedford High School

You might not expect a 6-foot-2, 155-pound defensive back who answers to the nickname “Bones Jones” to be a physical player, but that’s how Bedford High School coach Zach Matthews described free safety Jack Jones.

“Very lean athlete, ” Matthews said. “Our kids called him “Bones Jones” because he had to eat as much as he could and put in a lot of hard work in the weight room just to get to that weight.

“He was a two-year starter who really anchored the middle of the field as far as the back end of our defense. Based on what I saw on film his junior year — me being new to the program (2019 was his first season at Bedford’s head coach) — and what he did this year, he became much more physical for us in the run game. That’s where we saw the growth and development in him last season.”

According to Matthews, Jones will attend the Colorado School of Mines and pursue an engineering degree. He is a member of the National Honor Society and the Math Honor Society.

He also earned the Presidential Gold Community Service Award, which honors citizens whose volunteer work positively impacts communities. 

“Works the grill with his father at youth football games,” Matthews said. “He grew up with Bedford football and he’s someone who wants to give back. That’s the kind of kid we’re talking about.”

His combination of excellence in academics and athletics also earned Jones the Scholar/Athlete Award from the Joe Yukica New Hampshire Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. He is one of 39 players selected for the Scholar-Athlete Award this year.

At the time of his nomination Jones had a 3.95 GPA (scale of 4.0). His numbers on the field as a senior included 55.5 tackles, one interception and three pass breakups. Jones helped the Bulldogs win the Division I championship during his junior year, and he was selected to represent New Hampshire against Vermont in this summer’s Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl.

“He was very comfortable in coverage and being in the middle of the field and seeing things that way,” Matthews said. “I think it took him a really good offseason between his junior and senior year to develop a little more of that physicality and that run presence that you need in high school football in New Hampshire. Yeah, people are going to throw the ball, but the guys in the secondary are gonna have to come down and be willing to stick their nose in there in the run game. He was undersized, but never overmatched.”

Q and A with Jack Jones

Q: Please describe the most memorable moment of your high school football career.

A: The most memorable moment in my high school football career is the final seconds of the 2018 state championship game against Pinkerton. The atmosphere of the student section and crowd, along with the feeling of excitement sinking in that the game was over, and we were victorious is indescribable — coaches jumping around with joy, friends jumping on the sideline as the ultimate goal of the season was reached.

Q: Tell us about someone who has had a significant influence on your life.

A: Coach Stank (former Bedford High School coach Derek Stank) had a large influence on me, as he helped me get through a tough time in my life, providing a positive outlook on the situation. He pushed me to be better every day, earning every moment I have on the field, but still holding academics to the highest standard.

Q: What is your favorite subject in school and why?

A: Either physics or math, as both are heavily related. I like them because they are the two classes I feel I learned and grew the most in.

Q: What life lessons have you learned from football?

A: I have to earn every bit of success or opportunity through hard work and making themost of the opportunities when they arise.

Q: What is your dream job?

A: No clue, but I want to be an engineer of some kind.

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2020 Scholar/Athletes: Keith Albergo (Winnacunnet), Thatcher Allen (Exeter), Cole Ames (Lebanon), Mason Belsky (Windham), Patrick Brust (Bishop Brady), Jaedon Cliche (Exeter), Riley Desmarais (Windham), Bobby DiCicco (Windham), Jared Dyer (Merrimack), Casey Gladu (Portsmouth), Owen Gormley (Salem), Jack Grogan (Bedford), Steven Guerette (Bow), Evan Haskins (Pelham), Samson Hodges (Milford), Ethan Holt (Bishop Guertin), Jack Jones (Bedford), Charlie Kneissl-Williams (Bedford), Hunter Lassard (St. Thomas), Joseph Lupo (Bishop Guertin), Jake MacInnis (Pinkerton), Braden McDonnell (Nashua South), Will MacLean (St. Thomas), Hayden Moses (Bishop Guertin), Riley Mulvey (Salem), Kyle O’Connor (Nashua South), Nolan Pafford (Portsmouth), Wade Rainey (Lebanon), Ismael Rivera (Bishop Brady), Oceanne Skoog (Newfound), Caleb Smith (Lebanon), Rolando Sylvain-Stott (Newfound), John Thibault (Trinity), Zach Twardosky (Merrimack), Gavin Urda (Milford), Carter Vedrani (Campbell), Jacob Wenger (Trinity), Jon Willeman (Lebanon) and Devin Wood (Merrimack).

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