Eric SorensonHorizon High School senior Jake Hess is a big guy from a big family. Standing nearly 6-feet-10, the three-sport athlete grew up watching his siblings compete for the Huskies. Older sisters Jennifer, Melissa and Nikki all went on to play college volleyball. Jake has paved his own athletic success at the north Scottsdale school in football, basketball and track.
“They inspired me,” Hess recently said to Sports360AZ.com. “Growing up watching them play sports. Also playing with them in our backyard and our street made me become a better athlete.”
Despite breaking his collar bone and playing only four games for head coach Ty Wisdom last fall, the wiry wide receiver averaged over 19 yards per catch and over 70 receiving yards per game (nearly 300 total) with a pair of touchdowns. Hess followed that up by nearly averaging a double-double (10.5 points, 8.2 rebounds) and team-high two blocks per game for the Horizon hoops squad. He’s currently in the middle of his fourth track season running in different events this spring.
“It’s very unique,” Hess said of competing in three-different sports. “It’s kind of fun to do all three and excel on the different fields [and court]…never quitting until you reach the end.”
While he may, competitively at least, have reached the end in two of the three sports after graduating in the coming months, he recently announced his intentions to continue to play one at the next level.
Congrats to @jakehess2 who has committed to Phoenix College to continue his education and basketball career.
— Horizon Basketball (@HorizonHoops) April 14, 2017
Hess says his rare down time away from school and sports is spent doing two things he thoroughly enjoys.
“Sleeping and eating,” he said nodding his head and smiling.
It’s safe to say those two necessities may sometimes be hard to come by in the Hess household.
