Forced to sit during the first half of Thursday’s preseason Kickoff Classic outing vs. defending Class 8A state champion Sanford Seminole, the shifty junior brought the home crowd to its feet late in the fourth quarter.
Gillens returned a punt nearly 70 yards down the visiting sideline for the game’s final TD as two of the top high school football programs in the Orlando area played to a 14-14 tie.
Seminole ended the 2020 season at No. 1 in the Sentinel Super 16 rankings. Jones finished at No. 2.
“It was a classroom misunderstanding,” Gillens said of his punishment.