We’re only three weeks into the season, and I’m not sure I’m going to see a better individual performance than what I saw last Friday night at Center High School.
Yellowjacket sophomore Jacorey Love put on a show for those in attendance, accumulating 369 total all-purpose yards to go with six touchdowns.
What he did in the fourth quarter, with the game on the line, was what was most impressive. He scored three of his six touchdowns in the quarter, with two of them being highlight-worthy, can’t-miss plays. Most importantly, it turned a 41-40 lead into a 55-40 advantage over Oak Grove.
Two things about Love really stood out to me. One was his ability to make defenders miss. On a 69-yard touchdown reception on a simple screen pass, Love made three or four Panther defenders miss as he crossed from one side of the field to the other before turning it up field down the sideline and out-running everybody.
And that was the other thing. Love’s burst when he hit the hole and turned it up field was incredible to watch.
I was trying to think of a player to compare Love to and the one that eventually came to mind was former Blue Springs running back Dalvin Warmack. Both were on the smaller side, but their shiftiness and speed made them a nightmare for defenses. Every time they touched the ball, you expected to see something great.
The craziest part about Love is that he’s just a sophomore. He’s only going to get stronger, faster, and smarter.
And while I was just there for this one game, it was hard not to notice Love as a teammate. He seemed to be frequently encouraging his teammates. He was upbeat. He got the water cooler with another teammate and celebrated the win by dumping it on another player’s head. He was having fun. He was humble after the game, too, not only praising his offensive line in our interview after the game, but I also saw him step up and say something to the rest of the team in the postgame huddle.
It was no surprise afterward to hear his head coach praise not just his on-the-field performance.
“He’s a great kid,” Center head coach Bryan DeLong said. “He gives love to his coaches and his line, and it’s not fake.”
I’m going to be interested to see where his career takes him the next few years. The future is bright for him. And it might be bright for the Yellowjackets, too. They have started the season 3-0 and Love mentioned the team having a chip on their shoulder this season, wanting to get revenge on some teams that beat them last season.
Oak Grove was one of those teams. One win down on the revenge tour. If the defense can keep improving and get some more stops, the offense has multiple weapons to light up the scoreboard.
Love isn’t the only one, but he leads the way.
