Independence’s Jayden Jones repeats as Observer player of the week

Jayden Jones said his favorite football games are when he is involved in a lot of plays.

“Running the ball, catching passes, doing the blocking — all of that is fun,” said Jones, a senior running back at Independence High.

That means Jones had a lot of fun last week.

He totaled 241 yards of offense as the Patriots walloped Richmond Senior 52-18 in a third-round Class 7A playoff game.

For that effort, Jones was voted by fans as The Charlotte Observer’s football player of the week.

He is the second two-time winner this season, joining Monroe quarterback Brayden Graceffa. Jones is also the last football player of the week for 2025.

Independence’s season came to an end Friday night, when the Patriots lost 21-6 to Weddington. The Warriors paid close attention to Jones, focusing much of their defensive effort on stopping him.

And for good reason.

The week before, against Richmond Senior, Jones carried 17 times for 190 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 11.2 yards a carry. Jones also caught three passes for 51 yards and another touchdown.

A 5-10, 175-pounder, Jones finished his senior season with 1,150 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns.

And he entered the season with more than 4,000 yards of total offense in his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons.

Jones has been selected to play in the Queen City Senior Bowl on Dec. 20.

“I can adjust to any style of football,” he said. “I can be a breakaway runner, or I can take it up the middle. And I enjoy throwing the blocks, too.”

Jones was a quarterback at Northeast Middle School but moved to running back when he arrived at Independence.

“I didn’t care,” he said. “I just wanted to play.”

“I like being out there for as many plays as possible,” he said. “The best part of football is being involved in what’s happening.”

Jones also was an effective kick returner and had a touchdown on a return earlier this season.

“Just get me out there in the game,” he said.

Jones’ season totals were limited a bit because he was sidelined with a hamstring injury during parts of September and early October. He said the injury had mostly healed by the time playoffs began about a month ago.

Jones has received several college offers but hasn’t made a choice yet.

“I know I want to keep playing next year,” he said. “I really enjoy being out there, in the game.”