Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Watching his older brother pack up and move off to college Zach Jones skipped the sentimental speech in favor of some smack talk.

Before heading off to start his college football career at Ellsworth Jason Jones set single-season City High records for receptions and receiving yards as a senior in 2015.

Before his brother was even out the door Zach Jones had a message for him.

“I told my brother right away to make sure he knew I was coming for his records,” Zach Jones said. “When he was moving out and I saw his records on the wall of his room I let him know that I was coming for those records.”

Zach Jones admits the trash talk is all in good fun and his older brother has already been back to see him play and offer up advice.

Still, just three games into his senior season Zach Jones has proved he was serious about breaking records.

Jones leads City High (2-1) into Friday night’s annual Battle for the Boot against Class 4A second-ranked West High (3-0) with a state-leading 28 receptions and ranks second with 428 yards.

“He is really an impressive football player,” City High coach Dan Sabers said. “Some colleges should be getting after him because you talk about him as a slot receiver he’s pretty talented.”

Jones is coming off a school-record 16 reception performance against Ames last week in which he rolled up 232 receiving yards, the second highest single-game total in program history.

With at least six games to play Jones has his sights set on the 65 receptions and 1,153 yards his older brother totaled in an all-state season in 2015.  

Those records can wait. What Jones wants now is wins starting on Friday in his final Battle for the Boot.

“No doubt,” Jones said when asked if he was serious about surpassing his brothers’ records. “That is one of my goals to take both of his records but we have to get wins first. That’s the main goal is to get wins and get to the playoffs but we have to get a win this week first.”

Jason and Zach Jones each have their own unique skill set at receiver.

At 6-foot-2 and 190-pounds Jason Jones had four inches and nearly 20 pounds on Zach as a high school receiver and was adept at out-leaping defenders for jump balls.

A 5-foot-10, 172-pound speedster, Zach is lightning quick in and out of routes and a nightmare for defenders in the open field.

Both had the same knack for turning an ordinary catch into an extraordinary play.

“Jason adjusted so well to the ball and so does Zach,” Sabers said. “Zach is obviously a little quicker than Jason no question there but they have similar skill sets but obviously Jason’s size allowed him to go way up and get it but Zach is just different in his own way and fearless as can be.”

One similarity the Jones brother do share is the ability to come up with plays in the biggest moments.

When it comes to high school football in Iowa City moments don’t come much bigger than the Battle for the Boot and the Jones brothers are a big reason City High has won the last two meetings in the cross-town clash.

Jason Jones had six-catches for 93 yards and a touchdown and the game-clinching interception in a 14-12 win.

Last season Zach had two catches for 42 yards but more importantly played the role of a lockdown corner back while limiting West High to 79 yards passing.

“Coach challenged me on both sides of the ball to make the game personal last year,” Jones said. “It was a personal challenge to me and that’s how I look at it this year.”

Being one of the most productive pass catchers in the state is only part of what Zach Jones does for City High.

He ranks second on the team with 15 tackles, has returned a punt for a touchdown and almost never leaves the field.

“I think against Ames he played 160 plays of football,” Sabers said. “I mean my god, some of his plays are like five because of what he is doing with all the running he is doing.”

It will likely take another big game from Jones on both sides of the ball for City High to win its third straight over West High.

Jones and the Little Hawks face a West High offense that is averaging 40 points and 448 yards of total offense.

“Zach is certainly somebody that we feel can defend anybody now we will find out because there are some good receivers out there,” Sabers said. “We can match him up but we can leave him in the middle to see if he can read something and go get it.”