Jim Jones has been a head football coach before. He's held the top job at Mohave, Cortez and Red Mountain. Been an assistant at Westwood and most recently San Tan Foothills.Those stops cover three and a half decades. He  knows the territory. Glad to be back.

"I feek rejuvenated," Jones said. "Looking back I think I overstayed at Red Mountain. At the end there it was time for a change. I wasn't' sure if I wanted to be a head coach again. But I don't mind getting up early and doing this again."

Three full seasons removed as the boss at Red Mountain where he guided the Mountain Lions to two state titles (2000 and 2001) and a couple semifinal finishes, he's got a bright outlook. It's tempered. All is going splendidly right now at his new home -- Mesquite High in Gilbert. He knows why.

"This is the honeymoon stage," Jones, who was hired back in February replacing Matt Gracey, said. "You get to know the kids, the parents the community. But we haven't played a game yet. That's when it can change."

Mesquite football endured rough times the last two seasons. The Wildcats were 5-15 under Gracey. Gracey took over at a very bad time. Mesquite's enrollment has been declining for several years with the opening of district neighbor Campo Verde. The school had one of the smallest enrollments of Division I schools in that span and that's not good. Not good especially when one looks at the Wildcats' schedule the last two seasons that included -- Hamilton, Chandler, Desert Vista, Chaparral and Red Mountain to name a few. All are perennial playoff teams. All made the playoffs last two seasons. Six of Mesquite's 10 opponents last year qualified for the playoffs.

"I don't care who the coach was here the last two years," Jones said. "All the factors. Especially with the schedule they ended up playing. Noone was going to win a bunch of games."

As bad as the situation was the last two years, there's a bright side this fall. That illumination places Jones under the microscope. Mesquite has dropped to Division II. It is now near the top of enrollments among D-II schools. Its schedule is more managable, but features schools like Marcos de Niza, Cactus and Williams Field. Solid programs in their own right.

The question is can the players Jones and his staff  inherited from last year's varsity and lower levels rise from the barrage of competiton they faced. Did it steel them or are they gun-shy? 

"We have a good senior group," Jones said. "They are the first senior group since Campo Verde came online and there was a split. These kids and the others have bought in so far. I think we can be successful."

Since Jones was hired four months ago, he's pieced together a varsity staff comprised of line coach Jerry Wheeler ,known primarily for his prowess in that role at Mesa Mountain View.  Current son-in-law Nate Carr, former son-in-law Corbin Smith and and former Gilbert High standout Danny Gile round out the assistants in various capacities. None are on campus at Mesquite. That's new to Jones and something he wishes wasn't so.

"I think it's really important to have your assistants at the school with you," Jones said. "They all have other jobs, so it's not going to happen. We'll have to adjust and do the best we can. I believe we can have a good year. Like I said we have a good senior group. They're capable of winning some games even with all the change they're facing."