ORLANDO, Fla.---
It’s a Friday Night at Wekiva High School. Tyler Jones is suiting up for the other team.
“Win on me win on three. 1-2-3 win!” the West Orange team captains break down the huddle.
Tyler is their starting safety. He’s currently being recruited by colleges all over the country.
“I always knew I was going to get recruited it was just a matter of time,” Tyler says.
He has 28 total offers. His top four are Purdue, Duke, Missouri and NC State. His dad David Jones has been there every step of the way.
“It’s been a pleasure I coached Tyler when he was in Pop Warner, 5 years old,” David says.
Nowadays he coaches from the stands.
“Oh this is a run,” David says as West Orange tries to stop Wekiva on 4th and goal. “Oh got him!” David yells.
“Get on the sideline and get this thing together on the d-line. There you go Jones,” David says satisfied with the team performance. He saw it coming the whole way.
Next year he’ll be watchingTyler during his college games. A dream come true for both of them and his mom too.
A mother's last wish
“It’s been awhile, this is college, her mom and her dad. That’s when she got her degree,” David says while going through a photo album at their house in Windermere.
“This is her mom and dad at her graduation,” David says to Tyler.
They don’t go through these pictures often, but when they do the memories come rushing back.
“She’s in the middle?” Tyler asks.
“Yep, she’s in the middle,” David responds.
For Tyler’s mom Sara, grades were the most important thing.
“She was like a stickler for grades she’d always ask what am I going to do if football doesn’t work out,” Tyler says remembering his mom.
They like to remember the good times because the last few years have been incredibly tough.
“I remember when they first told me we were sitting at table eating dinner,” Tyler says. “It was shocking because I was like eleven or twelve.”
In 2012 Sara was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“Dr. Chambers, I’ll never forget here name,” David starts. “Dr. Chambers did the double mastectomy and everything seemed to be fine. But of course you have to take a certain type of medicine for five years.”
Sara appeared to be cancer free. Until she developed a skin condition doctors believed to be Eczema.
“It was getting treated they had a drug treating it then it started getting really worse and I’ll never forget her gynecologist said I don’t think thats Eczema,” David remembers.
Sara’s doctor was right. She had T-Cell Lymphoma. A form of cancer that had developed in her lymph nodes and spread. Last football season her condition declined rapidly
“The clicker that got in my head we played Evans second to last game of the season,” Tyler says. “She was walking slow and that’s not like her.”
Sara’s body had stopped responding to treatment. January 6, 2019 her long battle came to an end.
“We were able to be in the room with her while she passed which was a good thing but obviously it was very sad at the same time,” Tyler says.
The last thing he told her still echoes in his head.
“I told her before she passed that I’m going to get a scholarship go to college for free and dad wouldn’t have to worry about paying for college. So that’s one thing that I’ve checked off.”
Sara wasn’t there for Tyler’s first offer, but he knows she’s watching now.
“I don’t play reckless, but I play smart and fast because I always know she’s watching over me.”
David knows that she’d be proud of her son.
“You know your mom you know how much she loved you,” David says. “Keep your goals in check she’s an angel watching down on you believe me she’s smiling saying that’s my boy.”
Back at the Wekiva game Tyler goes to receive a punt. As he receives the kick David starts yelling.
“Go! Go, go, go!” “There we go Tyler take it to the house.”
Tyler returns it 60 yards for the score. Sara was watching this night. Tyler can’t wait for her to see him sign with a college.
“That’s what we’ve talked about since I was a little kid. So it’ll probably just be tears of joy.”