Advosports

CUERO - Trent Jackson had an interesting chat on Facebook recently.

Jackson conversed with former Cuero running back Robert Strait, and it's no surprise the subject was football.

Jackson broke Strait's school rushing records as a freshman and a sophomore, but eclipsing Strait's mark as a junior will be a challenge.

"He told me he wanted me to break it," Jackson said. "I told him it's going to be tough, but I'm going to try."

Jackson rushed for 1,436 yards as a freshman and 2,526 last season as a sophomore, but he'll have hard time surpassing the 3,515 yards Strait gained as a junior.

Strait also scored 54 touchdowns, including 52 rushing touchdowns, and led the Gobblers to the 1987 Class 3A state championship.

"I told him that if I broke it that it would be tough," Jackson said. "What I'm really focusing on is winning a state championship."

Jackson has helped the Gobblers advance to the semifinals the last two seasons and is expected to play a bigger role this season with the departure of quarterback Tyler Arndt.

"I think he realizes the more games he plays the more chances he has for yards," said Cuero head coach Rick Owens. "I honestly believe the record wouldn't be near as important as a state championship."

Jackson has added 10 pounds since being named to the MaxPreps Sophomore High School Football All-American Team last season, and worked hard over the summer to maintain his quickness.

"My freshman year I was quick and explosive and my sophomore year I got a little bit bigger and became more of a power runner," said the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Jackson. "This year during the summer I worked on cones to get my explosiveness back and I actually gained a couple of pounds."

Jackson has the ability to run inside or outside and has been productive in all of Cuero's offensive sets.

"The unusual thing about Trent in comparison to high school tailbacks is Trent's a very good traditional I tailback and he's also a very good zone runner out of the spread or the shotgun," said Cuero offensive coordinator Rob Schoenfeld. "It's very difficult to find one who does both very well.

"He's a downhill I tailback and is a good zone, cutback runner. I think he's equally good at both of those. You don't find that combination very often in high school football."

Jackson is aware of the importance his junior year will play in determining his football future. Strait played at Baylor after being recruited by a number of schools.

"I have a goal that I focus on and I try to set that goal," Jackson said. "If I come out and have a good year that would be three good years, dominant years, and I would have a good amount of schools to offer and I could choose what college fits me."

Jackson's options will be limitless if he can break Strait's rushing mark for a third straight year.

But the number of yards Jackson gains is not his ultimate goal.

"There's no doubt that people are going to compare them," Schoenfeld said. "I don't think anybody here does inside these four walls.

"What we're concerned with is the same thing for every kid in the program is the things that will make you a more effective football player and the things that are going to make you a more effective human being.

"It's a neat thing to have. If you've earned it and you've worked hard, it's certainly better to have it than not to have it. But I don't think Trent's main focus every day he walks on the field is records."

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