Student-Athlete of the Week – Jack Howard
XAVIER PREP SAINTS FOOTBALL
"I mean Jack is kind of my nickname because Jonathan is my real name," said Saints senior football star Jack Howard.
Jack Howard is a soft-spoken, nice kid. But on the football field, he's a mean dude always making some noise!
"You know Jack was an impact player from the moment he got into high school on both sides of the ball and I truly think he's underappreciated in his ranking in this valley for sports and to me I believe he's one of the top 11 players of all time," said Xavier Prep head football coach James Dockery.
High praise from his head coach and a guy that's got the credibility to comment but it's all true. Howard's been an all-league player as a freshman, sophomore, junior and will most likely be as a senior.
"The team accountability is what really drives me. It really makes me feel that I'm part of a bigger family. I love that aspect about the game and I just love the concept of football. It's just basically giving me a way to control my emotions out on the field," said Jack Howard.
At 6'2", 250 pounds, Howard plans to play football at the next level. However, right now, he's still figuring out where that will be.
"I've had a couple offers from some schools but I'm still deciding which one is the best fit for me right now," said Howard.
"This guy's going to change your program because he does things on and off the field. He's a great kid. He has room to improve both in his life and on the football field but these guys are getting a total football player - a guy that can truly do everything. He truly doesn't have a weakness other than the pen and the paper. A lot of coaches are obsessed with height, size and weight and speed but Jack is just a classic, real football guy who is definitely going to go to the next level and make somebody happy," said Dockery.
Xavier won't be happy to have him gone. But he will leave behind a legacy, which for Howard, he hopes is this.
"I just want to leave an impact as not just knowing me as a football player but as an overall person. I take real pride on being really nice to everybody and not judging them on what they are or who they are," said Howard.
That right there is a young man who gets it and will do just fine in life after football.
Our latest student athlete of the week says he's one of the best spikeball players in the valley. He won't say he's one of the best football players in the valley (too humble) but he certainly is. Full feature on @XCPHS_Football senior Jack Howard tonight on @KESQ! @XCPAthletics pic.twitter.com/0x12DnCthV
— Blake Arthur (@BlakeArthur24) March 23, 2021
NOMINATE A STUDENT ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
- SENIOR: Must be a 12th grade athlete
- STUDENT: Must have a 3.0 GPA or higher
- PERSON: Must be a leader in the community, person of high character
Send nominations to Blake.Arthur@KESQ.com or Taylor.Begley@KESQ.com
The Student-Athlete of the Week segment airs every Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. on KESQ News Channel 3.
