Roswell High School Homecoming King Shares Crown
Roswell High School Homecoming King Shares Crown
It was a moment shared widely online. In October, Roswell High School’s (RHS) senior quarterback, Trey Smith, was named the school’s homecoming king. Instead of enjoying the honor himself, he passed the crown to fellow senior Jake Jeffries, a Community Based Instruction (CBI) program student and friend of the RHS football team.
What the video doesn’t show is the long-standing relationship between Jeffries and the football team, which was the catalyst behind Smith’s choice to pass the crown to Jeffries and put him in the spotlight.
At Northwestern Middle School, Jeffries worked as a basketball assistant. When he started at RHS in 2020, his dad wanted Jake to get involved with another sports team. Scott Jeffries met Patrick Carlisle, offensive coordinator at RHS and a teacher in the CBI program.
“Jake got to lead the team out on the field for a home football game,” said Scott Jeffries. “Every game he became part of the team for warmups.”
The Jeffries family invited the team to cookouts after football camp and for Jeffries’ birthday.
“Jake developed a friendship with several of these players,” explained his dad. “Some of these players went off to college and still reach out to Jake.”
In Jeffries’ second year, he began working with trainers during football games, developing skills, and completing tasks.
“Each year his role has expanded,” said Scott Jeffries. “He carries all the water bottles and takes them out during time outs.”
Smith and Jeffries met four years ago.
“I met him from football,” Smith explained. “When I got to my freshman year, we all just embraced him. It was the culture to love on Jake. He was a part of the family. A bunch of the kids on the team are involved with CBI.”
And a friendship was born.
“He's a funny dude,” said Smith. “He's always joking around, always smiling. He’s a good guy to talk to. If you're having a bad day, he comes to talk. If you come up to him and dab him up, he'll dab you up just like everybody else. I definitely think he knows my senior class better than everyone else.”
Smith said everyone on the football team voted for Jeffries for the homecoming king.
“We were trying to find a way to get him the crown,” said Smith. “We made the plan that I would give the crown to him. I honestly didn't think it was going to be as big as it was. Anyone else on our team would have done the same thing. Jake was definitely surprised. I could see the smile that lit up on his face and lit up his mom and dad.”
Scott Jeffries remembered, “It was so surreal. The crowd was going bananas. I guess I didn’t understand the impact that this was going to have. I had no idea it was going to turn into what it did. [Jake has been] talking about being the king ever since. It’s simply a dream come true.”
Principal Dr. Rako Morisey said, “The Roswell community is inclusive and kind. Trey Smith's actions were representative of our community but even more representative of his own character. His small act of kindness toward Jake had a huge impact and exemplified his sense of selflessness and giving.”
Smith has also played baseball for RHS and the Georgia Jackets. He has committed to play football at Furman University. Jeffries does kickboxing, plays pickleball, and works with a personal trainer. He is a member of the Big Dogs Power Lifting through Milton High School and traveled to Idaho in summer 2025 to compete in the world championships for bench press, squat and deadlift.
Scott Jeffries said, “As a dad what I love is that he’s known in the school. The homecoming king was icing on the cake. I’m just grateful.”