Newman Smith High football standout drowns at Lewisville Lake By MATTHEW WATKINS Jaquis Jones As his summer vacation began last week, 17-year-old Jaquis Jones was optimistic about his future. He planned to start a new job Monday, just days after finishing his junior year at Carrollton’s Newman Smith High School. And he was close to fulfilling his dream of becoming a college athlete. He already had scholarship offers to play football for New Mexico State University and the University of Nevada. The coaches at SMU had also shown interest. “I’mma accomplish so much next school year!” he posted on his highly active Twitter page. But that potential was lost early Saturday at a party on Lewisville Lake. Jones drowned near a dock at the Pier 121 entertainment venue. Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Warden Daron Blackerby said Jones swam too far from the dock. People at the party jumped in to help him and called 911 after he couldn’t be found. Within about 30 minutes, divers from the Lewisville Fire Department pulled him from the water and began performing CPR. They rushed him to the nearby Medical Center of Lewisville but couldn’t resuscitate him. He was pronounced dead at 2:21 a.m. His head football coach, Paul Ressa, said Jones was popular among his teammates and classmates. “He was the funnest, loving kid,” he said. “He enjoyed every single day. He had his ups and downs like every other kid, but he truly enjoyed everything about the athletic world and the relationships he had with those kids.” The defensive tackle was unanimously voted a team captain for the coming season. Ressa said he thought it was a great choice because of Jones’ maturity and hard work on the field. The coach called Jones, who was 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighed more than 265 pounds, “larger than life.” “Put him in social situations, academic situations or athletic situations, and it was all about being a servant leader,” Ressa said. “That is what we preached on a daily basis.” The team was in mourning Saturday, planning a memorial service that night on its practice field. “It hurts,” Ressa said as he choked back tears. “It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. I think we do a great job of building relationships and being close to those kids. There is definitely a bond. It is just a raw feeling.”

Submitted by Edward Lynn Williams

Teenager drowns in lake
Carrollton athlete is first victim this year at Lewisville Lake
By Megan Gray / Staff Writer

A 17-year-old Carrollton high school student drowned near a boat slip at the Pier 121 Marina in Lewisville early Saturday morning.

Jaquis Jones, a junior at Newman Smith High School, was partying with about 15 to 20 other students at Lewisville Lake celebrating the end of school, officials said.

Game Warden Daron Blackerby said friends were swimming back to the dock when they looked around and noticed Jones wasn’t behind them.

“Some of his teenage friends then started searching for him,” he said.

The first 911 call came in at 12:38 a.m.

“We are not sure exactly when he was first noticed drowning, but know friends did search for a little while,” Blackerby said.

The Lewisville Fire Department dive team pulled Jones out of the water at 1:10 a.m. and immediately started performing CPR.

“He was given CPR all the way from when he was pulled out of the water to ground transport and once he reached the hospital,” Blackerby said.

Jones was pronounced dead at Medical Center of Lewisville at 2:21 a.m., according to the Tarrant County medical examiner’s website.

The medical examiner ruled Jones’ death an accidental drowning.

Officials working the scene said he was not wearing a life jacket.

“Life jackets are valuable,” Blackerby said. “Even if you are just hanging around the dock, or going for a quick swim, they save lives.”

This was the first drowning death for Lewisville Lake this year.

Last year there were eight confirmed drowning-related deaths at Lewisville Lake, Blackerby said.

Jones, a defensive lineman for the Trojans football team, had received a scholarship offer from New Mexico State University, a Division I school, according to recruiting websites.

Investigators don’t suspect any foul play or drinking involved in Jones’ drowning.

Blackerby said the students were just out to have fun.

“This is just a tragic accident, and I’m hoping we will not have any more for the rest of this year,” he said.

Denton Record Chronicle - Published: 08 June 2013 02:27 PM

JAQUIS "JAZZ" JONES
February 2, 1996 - June 8, 2013

Hilltop Memorial Park, Carrollton, Dallas County, Texas