Dylan Hugues is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication student assigned to cover Camelback High School for AZPreps365.com.

Camelback defensive back Devion Jones has faced more adversity than the average high school athlete.

“I think that it's been a tough life for him,” Camelback Head Coach Dante Foster said. “But, he doesn’t complain. He's the most quiet kid during a game. He's laser-focused. He doesn't really allow anything to bother him. He just does his job every single play, and he truly wants to get better.”

Foster said Jones had lost his father last year and this year his mother was diagnosed with cancer.

Despite family struggles in his life, he’s been able to continue to make a difference playing despite the turmoil.

Jones has been shutting down sides of the field in his first three games at Camelback. Jones had transferred to Camelback this school year.

“Teams do not throw it to his side,” head coach Dante Foster said. “It's because he's so quick. He's a twitchy kid. He has an extremely high IQ.”

Jones has made an immediate impact since transferring to Camelback from Central High School, which forced him to sit out the first five games. In those five games, Camelback allowed 35 points per game. In the three games Jones has played in, Camelback has allowed 39 total points. 

Camelback has essentially cut their points per game allowed to a third of what it was. Jones’s talent is to be credited. 

“I’ve been waiting,” Jones said.

Other than designed screen plays, no receiver that Jones has guarded has been targeted this season. 

“It’s been since week five my freshman year,” Jones said. “It was a hitch, but I never got scored on.” 

Jones says football is a chance to make a name for himself.

“Everybody thought nothing of me,” Jones said. “Even my parents, they even were telling me to quit, until I showed that I put in the work.”

Jones said the practice he put in the summer before freshman year is where his talent really came together. 

Junior defensive back Dae’ziar Roper said Jones is a lockdown corner. 

“I really like to have a good DB with me,” Roper said.

Roper said Jones makes his job easier because he knows he can trust Jones at all times. 

Camelback has flipped its defense around with Jones playing, which is what they hoped for when he chose Camelback as his school. 

The transfer alone was about overcoming challenges. 

“He's faced a lot of adversity in his own life that I think has really willed him to become a little bit more mature,” Foster said.

“Before my freshman year, originally, I was living with my uncle and my aunt just to play football at Desert Edge(High School), but something happened with my mom at home, so I moved back,” Jones said.

Jones said it came down to a decision between North High School and Central High School before his freshmen year.

Jones chose Central and said he didn’t have good experience playing at Central. Jones said there was times where 11 people showed up for practice.

Jones said he has embraced and appreciated Camelback’s football culture. 

Jones said he has fit right into Camelback since the first day after having a negative experience at Central.

Jones said football dominates his life.

“To me, it's everything,” Jones said. “I think about football 24/7. There's times when it gets hard-you know ‘Why am I doing all this?’ But then, like once I start seeing my name get out there, I realize why I'm doing it.”