Recruiting Spotlight: Zach Jackson – Lester Prairie (2021)

[player_tooltip player_id="24440" first="Zach" last="Jackson"] will soon be a three-year starter, a two-way player, a three-sport athlete with college interest in two sports, and a four-instrument musician. To say the Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity senior has a few things going for him is an understatement. Two years ago, the Bulldogs advanced to the state football tournament. Last season, they were young, and they struggled. Now, led by their multi-talented senior, the Bulldogs are looking to make another run in the playoffs. "We had a down season last year after being a state tournament team in 2018," Jackson admitted. "We return all our skill position players, and we only graduated four seniors." The team finished the season with a 2-7 record, but Jackson is excited about this season. "We were a running team last year," Jackson said. "Our running back was a freshman, and he had over 1000 yards rushing. We return our blocking backs. We were best on defense when our linebackers were getting after the quarterback, and our corners played well. This year I expect us to have a better balance on offense and being able to mix up our coverages and blitz packages." Jackson is a multi-year, two-way starter. "On defense, in tenth grade, I started at corner as well, and I was usually on one of the weaker offensive threats. This past year, I was always on the best receiver. I am expecting to do the same this year. My strength is man coverage. I have been working to improve my tackling." "At quarterback, my overall mobility and keeping defenses on their toes is my strength," Jackson continued. "This summer, I have been working on my accuracy on my deep and mid-range throws. I have been working with my receivers at least three times a week, getting our timing down and working on concepts we are going to run." Jackson has experience at more than one position on offense. "I have been playing quarterback since 4th grade. As a sophomore, I started at receiver, and last year, I started at quarterback. I always wanted to play wide receiver. Having the opportunity to play receiver during my sophomore year helped me when I transitioned back to quarterback because, as a receiver, I learned how to read the corners. That helped me at quarterback reading defenses." Jackson also plays basketball and baseball. "I am best when I am slashing to the basket, scoring and getting my teammates good looks as well. I am primarily a shooting guard, but I play some point guard too. I would have played baseball in the spring and played AAU basketball. I would have been the starting catcher. In baseball, I have been starting on varsity since eighth grade. I got to play some basketball later in the summer with the Minnesota Comets." When COVID19 shut things down, Jackson was fortunate enough to find a place to work out. "A guy my dad works with owns a shed that has a basketball court. I would go there twice a day to get some shots up, work on my footwork, and work on my conditioning." Working out was made more difficult, not only because of COVID but because of another situation out of Jackson’s control. "Our school is going through a referendum and construction, so we couldn’t do anything in the school weight room, but we did some bodyweight strength training and agility training on the football field. I was able to go to a local gym and do some weightlifting." Not all of Jackson’s time is devoted to athletics. "I play a lot of music. I play four instruments. I have been playing piano since I was six years old. I also play the baritone, the trombone, and the tuba." Back on the field and court, the 6’2" 175-pound senior has at least one offer in two sports. "I hold an offer in football from Minnesota-Morris and am also getting looked at by St. Scholastica. For basketball, I have an offer from North Central University. I am also getting looked at by St. Scholastica, Lawrence University, University of Northwestern, St. Mary’s, Lake Region State and Crown College." Jackson has many options regarding what he does with his athletic career, but for now, he is focused on leading his football team back to the level they played at two years ago.