Action' Jackson

Purple power...Jason Jackson (5) and head coach David Witt leads the Mavericks through practice earlier this week at James Monroe. The Mavs host Winfield in the opening round of the Class AA playoffs on Friday. (Staff photo by Tom Bone)

LINDSIDE - With a perfect season in the balance, Jason Jackson of James Monroe responded with 262 yards rushing and another punishing performance at linebacker last Friday night.

It was the kind of output, in the Mavericks' 28-14 win over Class AAA rival Greenbrier East, that merits special recognition: The Pocahontas Coal Association - Bluefield Daily Telegraph Player of the Week Award.

It was a close call over Graham's Robert Henry - a two-time recipient this season - who rushed for 302 yards and four touchdowns last week against Carroll County.

James Monroe coach David Witt called Jackson's honor "well-deserved." He said the hard-working back has "done it on both sides of the football. He's rushed for, I think, 939 yards, thrown for close to 300 yards and five touchdowns.

"At the same time, Jason plays inside linebacker on defense. So you're taking a kid who runs it 26 times, and then plays inside linebacker all night long. He had a tremendous ballgame. And he's had that kind of performance consistently all year long," Witt said.

Jackson tallied touchdown runs of 59 and 23 yards early in Friday's game, producing a 13-0 James Monroe lead. Late in the third period, he capped the scoring with a 35-yard touchdown run on a sweep play. The run surprised him a bit.

Jackson said, "The guy was being blocked, and I was going to go inside, and for some reason I thought I'd jump outside. I surprised myself. I got outside, and thought I was going to get caught, but nobody caught me. I wasn't expecting to do that."

The scoring output increased his rushing touchdowns for the year to 14.

"I guess I've got more comfortable running the ball," he said. "Last year I was a little bit nervous, since it was my first year running with the varsity. And this year I think we've got a better line, so the holes are bigger this year."

He does not overlook the benefit of playing in the same backfield as well-respected senior Andrew Robertson.

"Andrew's all-state, so a lot of teams, they key it on him. That frees me up. Š It's really made it easy with Andrew being back there with me," Jackson said.

"It's nice to have two people who can carry the load for you," Witt said. "Friday night at Greenbrier East, (Jackson) carried 26 times and Andrew carried it 24."

Regarding Jackson's two-way play, the coach said, "He can handle it. He's a very well-trained athlete. He works very hard in the off-season and in the weight room, and on his conditioning. He's tough mentally and physically. So you don't have any reservations about playing him both places.

"You'd like to have two of him. But if you've only got one of him, then he's going to play both sides of the ball."

- Contact Tom Bone at tbone@bdtonline.com

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Honorable Mention

Robert Henry, Graham: Rushed for 302 yards and four touchdowns in the G-Men's 49-7 blowout of Carroll County.

Phillip Henson, Bland County: Ran for 89 yards, including a 40-touchdown run, in the Bears' 22-21 loss to Fort Chiswell.

Shawn Golden, Big Creek: Pass for two touchdowns in the Owls' 28-24 loss to Mount View.

Ricky Cook, Giles: Rushed for 227 yards and four touchdowns in the Spartans' 34-0 spanking of Radford.

Steve Brown, Graham: Caught a 50-yard scoring pass from Will Cole, and also returned an interception for a score in the G-Men's 49-7 thumping of Carroll County.

T.J. Carper, Graham: Recorded 11 solo tackles and assisted on eight more, and also returned an interception for a touchdown against the Cavaliers

Ryan Jones, Haysi: Scored two touchdowns in the Tigers' 27-0 win over Ervinton.

Elijah Owens, Haysi: Also two touchdowns in Haysi's win over the Rebels.

Andrew Bostic, Honaker: Rushed for 151 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown in a 21-6 loss to Tazewell.

Shane Justice, Hurley: Captured the BDD rushing title, running for 158 yards, including a 77-yard scoring run.

Andrew Robertson, James Monroe: Rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown, leading the Mavs to a 10-0 regular season with a win over the Spartans.

Brandon Cunningham, Mount View: Ran for 174 yards and three touchdowns in the Golden Knights' 28-24 win over Big Creek.

Eric Suttle, Narrows: Rushed for two touchdowns in the Green Wave's 34-14 win over Galax.

James Nottingham, PikeView: Caught a touchdown pass and kicked a field goal in a 33-24 loss to Midland Trail.

Brandon Croy, Princeton: Scored a pair of touchdowns in the Tigers' 40-33 loss at Riverside.

William Gardner, Princeton: Added two scoring runs in Princeton's season-ending loss to the Warriors.

David Saunders, Tazewell: Rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown in the Bulldogs' 21-6 win against Honaker.

Eric McDaniel, Tazewell: Ran for 105 yards on offense, and set up touchdowns with an interception and fumble recovery on defense.

Wyatt Justus, Twin Valley: Ran for 190 yards in the Panthers' season-ending loss to Hurley.