Every high school football player that has talent will aspire to become a college football player. However, there is the dreaded waiting game.
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A year ago, Jerrett Smith was preparing for the first round of the playoffs with the Carrollton Hawks. It’s where everyone wants to be, however just about everyone pays a toll to go nine straight weeks of hard hitting. Smith remembers how beat up he and his team were every week in the playoffs.
“At the end of the season, it’s so hard to be as athletic and as strong as you need to be throughout the whole game. I really felt that against Tuscola. I should’ve been able to get around that, and I just couldn’t get going. I was tired and beat up, but then again I was doing a whole lot. We had the same eleven playing both sides of the ball all game.”
Smith was the captain, running back, linebacker, and punter for the Carrollton Hawks. The gritty and talented three-year starter hardly ever left the field, but now he can’t even sniff it in college. Smith is in the midst of his first season at Quincy University as a redshirt freshman. He’s listed as a linebacker but says they may or may not switch him to be a defensive back.
“They said we’re looking at you for defense,” Smith said. “Those are the two positions I assumed. Either way, it’ll all work out.”
Although his days as a running back are all but finished, Smith will happily fill in if need be. Even if he also has to play on defense. After all that’s what he did in high school, so it’s nothing foreign.
“How could you not want both? I’ve been playing both since fifth grade, and it’s been a lot of fun. If they had a JV game or something and asked freshmen to go, I’ll raise my hand and say I’ll play running back if you need it.”
He’s not the only Carrollton Hawks on the Quincy roster. Two of the best Hawks in Carrollton history, Cody Leonard, and Luke Palan are Quincy Hawks as well.
As for Smith, he is one of the best and most successful players in Carrollton football history. He rushed for 1,406 yards and 26 touchdowns on the ground. Through the air, he caught 15 touchdown passes and collected 1,422 yards. Overall, he gained 3,355 all-purpose yards and scored 41 touchdowns, including 282 points. Every once in awhile Smith played quarterback and managed to throw four touchdowns and one interception. On defense, he tallied 438 total tackles.
As far as memories are concerned, his most favorite in his career was beating the Bismarck-Henning Blue Devils his sophomore year in the quarterfinals of the 2014 playoffs. It also marked the furthest Carrollton had ever ventured in the playoffs.
“It was the milestone. Carrollton hadn’t been over the hump, and it was the game that it was,” Smith said. “The playoffs, a snow game, the crowd surrounding the field. The atmosphere was unbelievable. There were such high-stakes along with the attitude of their team and our team. [Bismarck-Henning] leaving the locker room tearing down all of our signs in the hallway. Despite all the pregame stuff they were all saying go get it, live the dream as we were shaking hands. There were people on the field tearing up because they were so happy, we realized we just did it.”
Carrollton won that game 26-21, but the play that Smith is most fond of is his catch that killed off the game in the final seconds on fourth down. Although, it was the buildup to the play that was particularly enticing with an argument he was having with his older brother, Jacob the quarterback.
“I was saying, “there’s no one over here!” There were no defenders over there. They literally were not even looking at me. They started out on that drive edging away from me. Finally, they were trying to time up a blitz. The person over me and the safety weren’t even looking. It was crazy.”
Another memorable moment for Smith was during his junior season when Carrollton faced Pawnee in the second round of the playoffs. The Hawks were losing late in the game and had a fourth and long deep in their own territory. Even though there was enough time to get a stop on defense and go at it again, Smith wanted to get the first down and suggested it to head coach Nick Flowers. They drew up a fake punt pass, and Smith threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Cole Brannan, which won the game. It would have been sweet only if Smith knew what exactly was going on after the throw.
“The Pawnee play was great except that I didn’t really understand what was going on. I threw the ball and couldn’t see anything. Cole caught it, we have the first down, and I know he’s not going to fumble. I start jogging up the field and look at coach Flowers looking for the next play, and he’s down there jumping and fist pumping because Cole’s scoring.”
As for his worst moment in high school football, Smith didn’t hesitate to answer. The 2014 state championship against Forreston where the Hawks came up just short 20-15.
“That was my least favorite game ever. I had turf burn scars from that game and broke my finger. It was terrible to lose. Terrible to see those seniors go out like that and had been told since fourth grade this is the team that’s going to win the state championship by everybody.”
Smith says that he wouldn’t be where he is today if it weren’t for older brother Jacob because of how hard he pushed him on and off the field.
“He was hard on me, but it made me into the football player I was. After that, I didn’t expect anything less from anybody else. He kinda molded me that way especially in the [Forreston] game too because I finally got to where he can trust me.”
For all of his football excellence, Smith does have one regret looking back on his career when he was a sophomore.
“If I would’ve just sized up and been more mature because as a sophomore I was still undersized and hadn’t matured quite yet. I just wish I would’ve been able to be what I was my junior and senior year playing as a sophomore. It would’ve been fulfilling for me to know that I did as much as I did those two years that year. That’s how I learned how to be a killer out there.”
Flash forward a year later the Carrollton Hawks are preparing for yet another promising playoff run, while Smith is putting in the work in practice and the weight room at college knowing he won’t see the field this season, which frustrates him. However, he knew what he was getting into when he signed his letter of intent months ago. College football requires patience at all levels, and it’s difficult for natural killers on the field to wait that long on the sidelines.
Smith will continue to wait until he gets his chance.
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