By Kyle LoJacono
Sunlake quarterback Jacob Jackson set several program records in 2010 and the senior signal caller was rewarded with the third athletic scholarship for the football team this year.
Jackson signed May 17 with the College of DuPage, a junior college in Illinois, and plans to study either criminal justice or sports medicine. The Chaparrals play in the Midwest Football Conference and finished with a 7-5 record last season.
“It’s a big weight lifted off of my shoulders to finally sign,” Jackson said. He then added, “I didn’t really like any of the NAIA schools or Division III. I was talking to some D-II schools, but it was getting late for scholarships. I think the better decision was to go junior college. It gives me more time to think about where I want to go. My plan is to get better and go to D-I.”
Jackson came to Sunlake as a junior from Gulf High. He posted a 12-8 record as the Seahawks starter, including going 8-2 last year.
“I’ve loved all the players here,” Jackson said. “We’ve bonded together and became a team. We work well together and hopefully they continue to get better.”
Jackson set single-season program records by completing 82 passes for 1,258 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2010. He is also the first player from the program to rush for 1,058 yards and post 2,316 total yards and 30 total touchdowns in a season.
Jackson was named the All-Sunshine Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year as a senior for his work on the field.
“He’s a fierce competitor,” said Sunlake coach Bill Browning. “He had a lot of production last year. He will be definitely missed. … DuPage is getting an outstanding quarterback and an outstanding leader. It’s a good opportunity for him. They play in a very good junior college conference. There are a lot of good schools in that conference and they send a lot of players to four-year universities.”
–All stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches.
