FAYETTEVILLE — If Highland Park senior quarterback John Stephen Jones follows his dad and grandfather’s path to Arkansas to play football, his high school coach Randy Allen says the Razorbacks will be getting a winner.
Jones (5-10, 175 pounds), the grandson of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and son of Cowboys vice-president Stephen Jones, has led Highland Park to a 21-2 mark over the last two seasons.
The Scots, who went 15-1 and won a Division II state championship in Texas last season, are 6-1 overall and 4-0 in conference play this season heading into Friday's game with Forney (2-5, 1-3).
“John Stephen is a great competitor, a tenacious competitor,” Allen said. “He is very improved over last year as far as velocity on the football, his strength, his scrambling ability, his running ability.”
Jones, who took an unofficial visit to Arkansas along with his dad last weekend, has completed 98 of 148 passes for 1,760 yards and 20 touchdowns, and has been intercepted only once this season. He also has rushed for 199 yards and 2 touchdowns.
“He is on track and while I’m not sure how many yards he has thrown for is exactly, it’s over 1,500 yards during the first seven games,” Allen said.
“He is throwing the ball effectively and not turning it over and making good decisions. He is a good manager of the game and his teammates believe in him.”
He completed 202 of 335 passes for 3,017 yards, 30 touchdowns and 7 interceptions last season, and also had 119 carries for 278 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Jones is one of his team’s captains this season. Allen said Jones his humble despite of his family fame.
“He is a captain and a leader on this team,” Allen said. “I think he also has very sincere and genuine humility and is very authority-oriented. He respects his coaches and takes coaches very well.
“I think one of the reasons his teammates elected him captain is because he doesn’t hold himself out as any better than him and he is a guy that makes friends easily.
“He also seeks to serve other people instead of himself and being selfish about it.”
Allen doesn’t rule out Jones being a college starter down the line. Arkansas coach Bret Bielema has told Jones he would like to have him on the Razorbacks' roster.
“If I had one guy to compare him to it would be (Oklahoma quarterback and former walk-on) Baker Mayfield,” Allen said. “He’ll get after it and he is a winner. He will get better and excel at whatever he does. If he wants to be a Division I football player he will give it effort and be very competitive.
“If he ever does get the reigns of a football team, he knows how to win.”