South Georgia - In The Game High School Sports Magazine

Intense. That’s one of the first words Hahira Middle School football coach Lance Eckdahl used to describe Tre′ Jackson, his fullback/outside linebacker/defensive end. “I’ve been coaching 15 years, and I’ve never coached anyone as intense as he is. We’ve been trying to get him to tone down his emotions. Sometimes, he gets too keyed up,” says Coach Eckdahl.

Tre′ has been able to channel that intensity into an incredible three-sport career at Hahira Middle. In addition to football, Tre′ also plays basketball and runs track at a very high level. As good as he is in those sports, football will be his ticket to something much, much greater.

Tre′, who stands 5’6” and weighs 165 pounds, began playing football when he was five years old. He’s moved around on defense, but he has always played running back on the offensive side of the ball. Tre′ shares the backfield with a talented group and manages eight to 10 carries a game. He’s a strong, physical runner who would rather run over an opponent than around him. “You gain their respect when you run them over. They know you’re not scared of them,” he says.

Tre′ is also an adept blocker and has no problem working for his fellow running backs when it’s their turn to carry the ball. “I just like being a leader on the team. I like being able to encourage my teammates, especially my offensive line,” he says.

His physicality really shows on defense. He says he would rather play defense than offense and enjoys hitting much more than getting hit. “I love to tackle people. When I’m playing defensive end and a back comes around the end, he’s wide open. I love that,” says Tre′. He has the speed to invade the backfield quickly and drag down the ball carrier. Tre′ also knows how to find the end zone on both sides of the ball and has done so with surprising frequency. “He can score for us on offense or defense,” says Coach Eckdahl.

As much as he loves running the ball, and despite the number of big plays he’s made on offense, his favorite moment of his career came when he was playing defensive end. Hahira had squared off against Pine Grove Middle, a new school in Lowndes County, in the last game of the year. Tre′, playing defensive end, stripped the ball from Pine Grove’s running back. He scooped up the ball and ran 40 yards for a touchdown. “That was a fun play,” he remembers.

Coach Eckdahl recalls another, more sinister moment. There was no touchdown, no fumble recovery or long run. It was just that most spectacular of gridiron plays – two athletes, one incredible collision. In the region championship game last year, Hahira and Tift were playing. Tre′ was on the kickoff team and charged down the field. He zeroed in on a Tift player and laid him out. It was a brutal hit, the kind that makes you either wince in pain or jump up and cheer, depending upon who you’re pulling for. “That hit was unreal. You just hoped the other kid got up and was OK,” says Coach Eckdahl. The recipient of Tre′’s wrath did get up, but the lick left everyone shaking their heads. “He’s just a very physical player. He’s all over the field.  He’s absolutely reckless when he plays on the kicking team,” says the coach.

Tre′ has a “Tre′mendous” amount of natural talent, but he has done his part to make the most of the skills he has. Tre′ doesn’t want to sit back and relax.

Instead, he’s one of the hardest-working players on the Hahira team. “He works very hard, harder than anyone in the school,” says Eckdahl. Tre′ is very dedicated in the weight room, and knows that one of the keys to getting better lies in offseason conditioning. When he talks about his goals, he doesn’t mention a certain number of tackles, yards or touchdowns. Instead, he says he wants to set the record for bench press, squats and dot drills. The Hahira Middle records for each are 350 (squat), 285 (bench) and 50 seconds (dot drill). Right now, Tre′ squats 320, benches 265 and handles the dots in 60 seconds. “I expect him to break these records before the school year ends,” says Coach Eckdahl.

The athleticism that Tre′ possesses translates well into other sports. He’s a guard on the basketball team, and two years ago was the only sixth-grader to make the seventh grade basketball, baseball and football teams as a starter. He eventually dropped out of baseball to focus on the other activities. On the hardwood, he’s a good ball handler who knows how to crash the boards and pick up points off the rebound. He spent the summer working on his shooting and is looking forward to having a productive year offensively. He would like to play basketball in high school, but he knows that his main focus will be football. “He’s not tall, but he’s an above average basketball player. He plays very aggressively,” says Coach Eckdahl.

On the track, Tre′ runs the 4x100 relay and throws the shot put and discus. He won the region in the shot put last year and holds his own in the 4x100 and discus. “He has a great combination of speed, strength and athleticism,” says Eckdahl.

He also has one more piece of the puzzle: excellent grades. Tre′ is an honor roll student who maintains a very high grade point average. “I’ve always known I had to make good grades in order to play sports. If I didn’t make A’s, I didn’t play. It’s been that way since kindergarten,” he says.

Tre′’s over-riding goal is to attend the University of Miami. It’s been a dream of his since he was old enough to dream. His mother told him that if he wanted to go to Miami, he would get there on his own. “She told me we didn’t have the money for me to go. So I knew I would have to get there on my grades. I’ve always wanted to be a Hurricane.  Even my room is painted orange and green!” he says. Tre′ has also qualified for the prestigious Duke University Talent Identification Program, and has already scored an 1100 on the SAT.

“Tre′ is a great kid. He always has a smile on his face and he goes out of the way to speak to you. He should have a great career at Lowndes High. He has the grades and the athletic ability. He should be a big-time prospect one day,” says Coach Eckdahl. •