Perry coach Preston Jones and his many playing and coaching stops over 30 years. (AzPreps365 photo)

 

How long has Perry football coach Preston Jones traveled the road to Saturday's state title game destination? It's creeping up on three decades now when he began his high school career playing for his father, Jim, at Red Mountain and then the subsequent decision and desire to pursue coaching.

Jones and the Perry Pumas could make some history on Saturday. Of course, the overriding goal is hoisting the school's first football championship trophy. Sister schools Hamilton, Chandler and Casteel have one or more of their own shiny pots. Formidable and defending champ Chandler High stands in Perry's way.

It would be a unique accomplishment as well should a championship be won as Preston and Jim would become the first father and son to win state championships outright as head coaches in the state. Red Mountain won two -- back-to-back in 2000 and 2001 - a decade after Preston played (1988-90) for the Mountain Lions. Current Mesquite coach Chad DeGrenier and his father, Jack, have championships to their credit with a caveat. Chad won an outright title in 2006 coaching at Cactus Shadows. Jack was a co-champion coach at Scottsdale Christian when SCA tied Williams for the 1989 eight-man title. Oddly enough, Jim Jones is currently an assistant on Chad DeGrenier's staff at Mesquite.

Preston Jones perhaps had coaching in his blood all the time. It just didn't manifest itself early. He felt the tug of becoming a football coach after high school and particularly when he arrived as a player for the University of Tennessee-Martin.

"I didn't have a bunch of desire to coach when I went to Tennessee-Martin," Preston Jones said. "I'd been surrounded by a lot of coaches, good ones in high school. I got really interested in it when I started getting deeper in the scheme stuff. It fueled my interest. I had some great coaches at Tennesseed. That helped."

Jim Jones was mentored in nearly all ways by Westwood's legendary coach Jerry Loper, so Preston often got to see Loper, his dad and the rest of an outstanding staff at Westwood up close in his high school and pre-high school years.

Then when Red Mountain opened in 1988 (Preston's sophomore year), Jim Jones was selected to be its first head coach. At the time the Joneses resided in the Mountain View boundary and Jim Jones left the decisionof  where to play up to Preston. Mountain View's coach at the time was Jesse Parker.

"I had Preston meet with Jesse because I thiought it was the right thing to do" Jim Jones said. "The decision was Preston's."

Preston opted for Red Mountain. Playing in the inaugural days of Red Mountain's program, Preston was an option quarterback and a standout in the secondary. He also played basketball and and competed in track where he won excelled in pole vault and hurdles and was exceptional in the decathlon. Preston received a scholarship to play football at the University of Tennessee-Martin where he earned all-conference honors as a safety competing between 1992-1995. 

Preston returned to Arizona after graduation. He student taught a semester and assisted at McClintock initially. The Chargers at that time were coached by a staff that included Dennis Johnson, Scot Bemis and Mike Gibbons, -- all tied to the longtime tradition of what still at that time was a football power.

"I was able to get experience there and then for three years at Red Mountain when I got a job there teaching special education," Preston Jones said.

The draw back was teaching special education, which demands an inordinate amount of paper work outside of class and beyond the teaching. Jones wasn't sure the demands of special education and coaching at the prep level wouldn't cut himself thin in both regards.

So he tested another avenue -- college coaching. He signed on for two years (2000 and 2001) as a graduate assistant at Missouri under former Arizona and USC coach Larry Smith. Smith after a good run for several seasons at Missouri was fired after Preston's first year there He managed to hang on under new coach Gary Pinkel. Preston had seen the prep and college coaching life. He knew which road to go down.

"I was able to do all that at a good time when I had no family and no kids," Preston Jones said. "I enjoyed it all. But I felt I could have more of an impact on younger kids. I wasn't interested in getting fired every couple of years in college when staffs came and went."

With his stint at Missouri complete, Preston returned again to Arizona searching for high school coaching jobs, aiming at a head coaching position. He was on his way to Yuma to interview for an opening at Kofa High in January of 2002. A phone call while on the road to Yuma intervened.

"I got word I could have an interview at Highland," Preston Jones said. "I turned around and never did interview in Yuma."

He interviewed at Highland and shortly thereafter was named Highland's third coach in its first 10 years replacing Mike Reardon. Preston Jones coached at Highland from 2002 through 2006. His record there was 27-28 record. The first two seasons were rough as numbers declined due in great part to the opening of Desert Ridge. His last three seasons at Highland were winning seasons with a playoff berth in each, including a semifinal berth in 2004.

Highland sowed the seed for his current home -- Perry. Highland offered football camps kids and one mother in the Highland/Higley area was quite impressed with the instruction Jones and his staff gave and how they interacted with kids. The mother was the wife of Perry principal Dan Serrano, Cindy.

"To this day I'm not sure if I got the job because Dan wanted me or because his wife thought that much of me," Preston Jones deadpanned.

Perhaps a grain of truth there, but Serrano goes way back with Preston and Jim. Dan Serrano taught and coached the lower levels at Red Mountain under Jim Jones when Red Mountain opened. Serrano went on to be the athletic director and later principal at McClintock -- and was athletic director the same time Preston coached and student taught there. There was familiarity and that was a big reason why Serrano hired Preston Jones to start the program.

"I'm a big believer in structure and discipline," Dan Serrano said. "I'd known Preston and Jim for years from my time at Red Mountain. I'm more comfortable if I have some knowledge about someone I hire. I knew with Preston what I was getting."

So here it is the eve of Perry's first championship game. The program in its 11th year, 10 of those varsity campaigns. The Pumas have played an independent schedule, competed in 5A or its equivalent for five years and 6A for the other five. They've won 69 times and lost 44.

Perry has reached the playoffs four straight years in 6A/D-I. Two years concluded with first-round losses. Last year's run ended in the semifinals. Saturday they have a chance for the ultimate triumph. The ultimate destination is in sight.