Jackson a real life gladiator for Sundevils

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Dec. 14, 2000 | 10:42 a.m.

In ancient times, armies used battering rams to knock obstacles from their paths, blasting down doors, walls and gates impeding their progress.

During the 2000 football season, the Eldorado Sundevils borrowed a page from history, relying on running back Steven Jackson as a battering ram on their march toward the end zone.

Jackson, a rock-solid 6-1, 210-pounder, brutally dealt with defenders standing in his way. For 13 games, he ran around, over and, quite often, right through his opponents to the tune of 2,764 yards and 34 touchdowns.

With their senior star leading the charge, the Sundevils finished atop the Northeast Division, captured the Sunrise Region Tournament and earned their first state berth since 1991.

For his consistent excellence and his unparalleled value to his team, Jackson has been named the Sun's 2000 State Offensive Player of the Year.

There were other outstanding candidates for the award this season, most notably McQueen tailback Chris Carr, who rushed for 1,944 yards and 34 touchdowns despite exiting most of the Lancers' lopsided victories by the third quarter.

But while McQueen had plenty of stars on both sides of the ball (as evidenced by its six first-team all-state selections), Jackson was the cog that made the Eldorado wheel go 'round this year -- both as the primary offensive weapon and the team's emotional leader.

"Steven is just such a competitor," Eldorado coach Ken Trujillo said. "He did whatever it takes to help our football team win."

Certainly, Jackson had a solid offensive line in front of him, with a relatively inexperienced Sundevil unit improving rapidly to become one of Southern Nevada's best by season's end. And junior quarterback Michael Edwards kept defenses honest, passing for 1,200 yards in his first varsity season.

But without question, opponents from weeks one through 13 knew Jackson was Eldorado's meal ticket, and took their best shot at keeping him from beating them.

"You go into games and everybody is keying in on 34," Trujillo said, referring to Jackson's jersey number. "And yet he was able to get 200, 300 yards against good teams."

Jackson did it with a tried-and-true combination: size, strength and speed. Equally capable of tearing off 50 yards untouched or blasting his way through a horde of would-be tacklers, Jackson left the area's top defenses in his wake.

"I told myself if I wanted to go to the next level, I couldn't be stopped out there," Jackson said. "Physically, I prepared during the off-season. During the season, it was more mental."

Trujillo praised his star's off-season preparation, attributing Jackson's stellar year in large part to his work over the summer.

"The success he had this season was based on his off-season program," Trujillo said. "He hit the weights hard, he ran stairs."

That extra effort paid off again this past weekend, when Jackson accepted a full scholarship to Oregon State, the nation's fifth-ranked team. He said much of the credit for that achievement goes to Trujillo, who recently stepped down as Eldorado coach.

"I cherish everything the man taught me. He treated me like a son," Jackson said. "A state championship would have been a great present, but I think he'll be proud of my scholarship."

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