West Boca junior likes new home

West Boca Raton Community, Fla., defensive tackle DeMario Jones attended Jacksonville (Fla.) Raines last fall, where he starred on both sides of the ball, and also was a standout on the wrestling team. After moving south this spring, he hopes to pick up right where he left off, and appears to be fitting in just fine.

Jones was relegated to offensive line duties as a sophomore, and saw limited time at his more likely position at the next level, defensive tackle. In the little time he was on the defensive side of the ball, he recorded three tackles (two for loss), one sack, and one fumble recovery.

“I play with a lot of heart and emotion,” Jones commented. “When I'm on the field, I’m focused and play hard for my team and my coach, because I love him for everything he has done for me.”

Jones stands 6-foot-0, weighs 260 pounds, and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.99 seconds. As a sophomore, he won the Coaches Wrestling Award, a regional wrestling award, and was a Raines team captain. He has also shown his leadership skills by being named the West Boca High School Junior Class President this year.

Jones grew up cheering for Miami, and now lists Texas, Miami, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, and Utah as his leaders. He recently made a move from Jacksonville (Fla.) Raines to West Boca and is still waiting for letters to catch up.

Jones projects as a full qualifier with a 3.0 GPA.