By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

LAPLACE – West St. John senior running back Jeremy Jackson knew he’d have the spotlight in 2013. He made sure to deliver.
After rushing for 1,704 yards and scoring a whopping 34 total touchdowns, Jackson earned a spot on this year’s Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s Class 1A All-State team.
Three fellow Rams earned honorable mention on the squad: quarterback Austin Howard, offensive lineman Ryan Cannon and offensive lineman/linebacker Koi Rainey.
It’s the first time Jackson has earned the nod, which comes during the first season that he held the team’s featured back position from the year’s beginning through its end. Jackson split carries with current Southern running back Kylum Favorite in recent seasons after making a big impact in a late-season surge as a freshman.
But spearheading the Rams’ Oregon-style, hurry-up offense proved to be right up Jackson’s alley. He averaged more than 11 yards per carry this season as a rusher, while adding other dimensions as a receiver and as a kick returner — the latter aspect highlighted by West St. John’s 35-28 quarterfinal victory over Block, where Jackson returned two kickoffs for touchdowns.
“He just knew that this was his chance to take it and run with it,” said Valdez. “And that’s exactly what he did. At West St. John, there’s certainly a great pedigree at that running back position, and Jeremy lived up to that. He worked hard all summer long, put his heart and soul into it. He was very, very determined.”
 Jackson accumulated his numbers despite missing one game due to injury and being sidelined early in two others.
“He had a few games too where he only carried four or five times,” said Valdez, alluding to a few lopsided West St. John victories. “He didn’t have the number of carries that some of the other (rushing leaders) had.”
Valdez also credited the Rams’ offensive line for helping to lift Jackson to the heights he reached, and Jackson himself for not only focusing on his own game, but in helping his teammates.
“He was very helpful with Bradley (Borne), who rushed for 900 yards himself,” said Valdez.
“We had to reshuffle the deck and ran with a makeshift offensive line, but those guys (on the line) stepped forward and made a big impact. They had a lot to do with our success.”