Football season presses forward amidst uncertain times in our society, and local athletes are relishing the opportunity to keep playing the sports they love. From an early age, North Lamar senior wide receiver and outside linebacker Jake Blackburn developed a love for the game of football.
“I started getting into sports whenever I was maybe seven years old when my dad made me start playing baseball,” Jake said. “Baseball wasn’t really my thing, and my mom came up to me one day and showed me the youth football program that was starting up in September. I just fell in love with it after I told her that I wanted to play.”
Once his passion on the gridiron was ignited, Jake knew he had a mountain to climb. Through his work ethic and physical growth, Jake was able to show his peers and coaches what he was capable of, which changed his role completely.
“When I first started playing football, I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t very good at all,” Jake said. “I played almost all positions on the field besides quarterback and running back, and I very first started out playing football as an offensive guard and nose tackle. My freshman year of high school is when I started to grow and lose all my baby fat, and I guess that’s when the coaches saw that I wasn’t that bad, so they started putting me in different positions. I played skill positions like tight end, wide receiver, outside linebacker, and middle linebacker. I think the process of me growing into my body and getting thinner helped me grow as a football player.”
As he grew as a player, Jake has also grown into a strong leader for his team. Coming from humble beginnings in the sport, Jake believes there is a path for any player to make it to the pinnacle of high school football, and he hopes to convey this message clearly to his younger teammates.
“For me, I think growing as a leader was about starting at the bottom,” Jake said. “I was a backup on the seventh grade B team when I first started playing UIL sports, so it showed me that you can get to anywhere if you work hard. I like to tell the younger guys that no matter where you’re at now, you can always succeed at the varsity level. I didn’t start in high school until halfway through my freshman year.”
Since the spread of COVID-19 provides a large amount of uncertainty surrounding sports, Jake said he and his senior teammates have no plans to waste any opportunity they receive.
“Regardless of how many games and practices we have left, me and all the other senior guys try to lead by example,” Jake said. “We don’t take anything for granted. We take every day in practice and in the weight room like it could be our last. We’re just trying to go out there and have as much fun as possible while making as many memories on the field as possible.”
Off the field, Jake remembers one of his most embarrassing moments, a moment he did not escape from unscathed.
“My most embarrassing moment happened one night when I was out with my friends playing basketball at our local civic center,” Jake said. “I went up to dunk a basketball, lost my balance on the rim, I fell down, and I broke both of my wrists at the same time.”
A personal highlight of his was when one of Jake’s tweets he posted was retweeted by country singer Kody West, which said, “Loose Ends by @KodyWest_ hits different man.“
Whenever he looks to escape the beleaguering tasks of day-to-day life, Jake has a place to find solace and peace to recharge his batteries mentally and physically.
“My happy place and the place I usually go to get rid of all my stress is my family cabin in Blossom,” Jake said. “It’s just a great place to go to. It’s very quiet, no one ever really comes there, and it’s just a great place to kind of clear my thoughts.”
Jake was a part of another unique moment on the hardwood during his middle school years, but not on the receiving end this time. When he and his Panther teammates faced the Atlanta Rabbits, Jake recalled a time where one of his teammates got burned on the court, by the opposing coach.
“In eighth-grade basketball, one of our guys got the ball, and he went to dribble and shoot,” Jake said. “I just remember hearing the other team’s coach say from across the court, ‘Good God, my 97-year-old grandma has more coordination than that kid.’”
Jake and the North Lamar Panthers will play again at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Canton.
