The large No. 6 that senior running back/defensive tackle Jeremiah Jackson sports on his jersey for East Aurora seems appropriate on nights like these.
His teammates know he’s looking out for them. And be it offense or defense, they can count on Jackson to be front and center.
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“When Jeremiah came up as a sophomore, we knew he was going to make an impact,” Tomcats coach Nick Kukuc said. “He’s a very impressive young man — somebody who whenever you speak to him it’s, ‘Yes sir, no sir. Yes coach, no coach.’ That says a lot about his character.
“In three years, I’ve never seen him raise his voice, never seen him lose his temper. But I have seen him compete over and over again.”
That was the case Friday night as Jackson helped power East Aurora to a 50-12 Upstate Eight Conference victory over Larkin on homecoming at Ellsworth Hill Stadium’s Roy E. Davis Field.
The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Jackson set the tone early with his running. He finished with 15 carries for 110 yards and two of his three touchdown runs in the first half for the Tomcats (3-2, 1-1), who took back the Thunder Bucket Trophy, the prize each time the longtime rivals meet.
Senior wide receiver Daivon Douglas added 229 all-purpose yards and three TDs, closing the first half with a flourish as East Aurora scored three times in the final 42 seconds to seal the verdict over Larkin (0-5, 0-2). Senior quarterback Joseph Becker was efficient, completing 8 of 14 passes for 211 yards with three TDs.
Despite the production, Jackson sees himself as more of a blocking back than a runner.
“Playing the position for a year and a half now, I’m better at blocking, so I do my role to help this team get whatever we want,” Jackson said. ‘It’s about the team getting to the point where we’re supposed to get.”
Jackson also was in the middle of things defensively with two tackles for loss in the first half as Larkin twice turned the ball over on downs and lost a fumble before scoring with 1:16 left, cutting the deficit to 22-6.
Douglas returned the ensuing kickoff 72 yards to set up one score, then the Tomcats recovered two straight onside kicks. That led to Douglas’ 5-yard TD run with eight seconds remaining, followed by his 55-yard TD reception with no time on the clock.
“That was amazing,” Jackson said of the spinning run by Douglas after the catch. “He lines up everywhere. I’m glorious to call him my teammate. He took that to the crib.
“I had told him to go off my butt and he took it home. He’s very shifty.”
Douglas struggled to explain it.
“I’m just looking to score every time I get the ball and I made it happen,” Douglas said. “I just try to keep moving those legs.”
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Jackson needn’t sell himself short, however, especially on defense.
“We think he’s a disrupter,” Kukuc said. “Jeremiah is a guy you game plan around. He’s a young man who can bend and his strength is outstanding. He’s someone you have to account for.”
And someone Kukuc, who has only 20-something players available, relies on each week.
“That’s why we onside kick so much,” Kukuc said. “We’re not trying to run it up. It’s just the best way for us to operate. The one time we kicked it downfield, they almost returned it for a touchdown. It’s just a better opportunity for us.”
There should be more with expanded playoffs looming.
“We don’t want to be in at the bottom level, though,” Jackson said. “We want to solidify our position with more wins. East Aurora isn’t a known team around the state, but we want to put ourselves on the map.”