ROGERS — Tuesday ended up being a pretty good day for Rogers High senior Zach Jones.
A few hours before the Mounties faced Rogers Heritage in a must-win 7A/6A-West Conference basketball game, Jones committed to play football at Evangel College in Springfield, Mo.
With his college football plans settled, Jones then went out and played the basketball game of his career. And it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Profile
Zach Jones
School: Rogers High
Class: Senior
Height: 6-4
Notable: Played wide receiver and linebacker for the Mounties football team and has committed to play football for Evangel College in Springfield, Mo. ... Averaging 10 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent from the field. ... Had 12 points and 12 rebounds in a win against Rogers Heritage on Tuesday.
Rogers entered the Heritage game with a five-game losing streak, and the Mounties needed a win to stay in the chase for a spot in the Class 7A State Tournament.
Jones responded with 12 points and 12 rebounds as the Mounties defeated the War Eagles 48-40. He scored 11 of his 12 points after halftime and scored six points early in the fourth period to help the Mounties to a 40-24 lead.
“Zach really seemed to play well against Heritage after making that decision,” Rogers coach Wayne Herren said of Jones committing to Evangel College. “If that gets him double-doubles every night, we are glad he made that decision.”
Jones received several scholarship offers, and he said settling on Evangel was a stress reliever — on and off the court.
“I didn’t have to think about it anymore. All I had to think about was basketball,” Jones said. “We knew we had to beat Heritage, and I just tried to help the team anyway I could.”
Jones is averaging 10 points, 6.5 rebounds and one steal per game while shooting 50 percent from the field. Herren said the Mounties will need that production down the stretch.
Since his junior season, Jones has gained 40 pounds and increased his 40-yard dash time from 5.2 seconds to 4.7.
“I’ll tell you what, Zach has done everything we have asked him to do,” Herren said. “He is basically an undersized post player, but he battles hard every night.”
Rogers has upped the tempo under Herren, and Jones had to do some catching up after football ended.
“I spent a lot of time shooting during the summer, but it was different when I came in from football,” Jones said. “I had to get more into shape, but it didn’t take me all that much time.”
Rogers (7-12, 1-5 7A/6A-West) faces another crucial game tonight when it travels to Springdale Har-Ber (7-13, 2-4). The Mounties’ best route to the playoffs is through Heritage and Har-Ber, and that makes tonight’s game a big one for both schools.
“You don’t like to use the word must-win,” Herren said. “But it is kind of a must-win for us. We are approaching it that way. Har-Ber is a very dangerous team that can shoot the three very well, and they have good size.”