South Georgia - In The Game High School Sports Magazine

It’s not easy for an underclassman to break into the starting 11 on a Region 1-AAAAA football team, particularly at an elite program like the Lowndes High Vikings. This season, two sophomores fought their way into the starting lineup for Lowndes, and each played an important role in Lowndes’s 12-game season. Tre Jackson, a 5’8”, 205-pound linebacker, and Eric Hart, a 5’10”, 170-pound safety, are best friends who have played football together since they were seven years old. That they both earned starting positions in the same year on the same side of the ball seems more than coincidental; the two have shared the field together nearly all of their lives, and both have bright futures.

Jackson simply willed his way on the field. He possesses a tireless work ethic, and his hard work forced his coaches to take notice. Jackson spent the 2010 season on the scout team behind Chris Scurry on the depth chart. Scurry, then a senior who signed with Murray State, wasn’t about to lose his starting spot to a freshman. So Jackson watched Scurry closely each day in practice and in every game. “He was explosive and intense. I wanted to take what he did and build on it,” Jackson says. This year, Jackson got his chance. With Scurry gone, the position was wide open. Jackson went for it with everything he had. “I had to step up and fill some big shoes. There was a lot of pressure, but my coaches and family had my back. They were all very supportive,” he states.

In several games this year, Jackson was a difference maker. His best game came against Tift County, when he went toe-to-toe with one of the toughest running backs he faced all year. The Blue Devil was a college prospect at linebacker, who the Tift coaches used some at running back. He was a big, bruising runner everyone expected to destroy the smaller, lighter Jackson. “My goal was to play him just like I did everyone else. I won’t back down from any challenge. Nobody is going to intimidate me,” he says.

Jackson’s words aren’t braggadocio. He is an aggressive, punishing linebacker ready to take on anybody, no matter how big or fast. The Tift County back reported in the game and took a handoff. He headed straight up the middle at Jackson. The linebacker stepped into the hole and met the back at the line of scrimmage, sending him to the ground and forcing a fumble in the process. Lowndes recovered, and Jackson had made one of his loudest statements of the year. He finished the year with 40 solo tackles, 24 assists, one sack, four tackles for loss, one interception and two forced fumbles. He played on 573 defensive plays and 41 special teams plays.

Hart patrols the secondary behind Jackson. He might be a little undersized, but nobody bothered to tell him that. Hart started the season playing in the Vikings nickel packages but finally started against Leon (Florida) in the fourth game of the season. He secured the starting job against Valdosta, finishing the season as the Vikings starting safety. “There was some pressure in the beginning, but I fell into the job. After a while, it felt normal,” Hart says.

When the season began, Hart wanted to work his way in the starting lineup and be one of the leading tacklers on the team. At Lowndes, the standard is to contend for a state championship each year. This season, the Vikings finished with an 8-4 record, a mark many teams would love to have, but a lackluster season for Lowndes. Still, after having a few weeks to evaluate how the season went, Hart is fairly pleased with how things turned out. “I think I did pretty well,” he says. As a team, though, he knows that Lowndes fell short of its goals. It’s not enough to make the playoffs and win a game or two. The Vikings want to win titles, both region and state. Next year, Hart wants to build on what he accomplished this year and help return Lowndes to championship form.

Hart landed in the spotlight against Leon (Florida), when he recorded two interceptions, the second of which helped seal the game for the Vikings. In the third quarter, with the game still in the balance, the Vikings defense needed to step up and make a play. Hart answered the challenge when he battled a receiver for ball lobbed his way. Hart came down with the pick, which helped the Vikings pull away for good. “I just got the ball before he did,” says Hart.

Jackson and Hart would like to play college football. They know they have to continue to work hard and improve at their positions. But they have the drive and the work ethic to become dominant defensive players. And the experience they have gained as sophomores puts them ahead of the learning curve as they prepare for their junior seasons. Lowndes has a penchant for turning out excellent players on the defensive side of the ball, and the Vikings will continue that tradition with Jackson and Hart.