By BUTCH HARMON
Thanks to his powerful right foot, Swartz Creek sophomore Jackson Maxwell is a traveling man this fall.
A soccer player all through elementary school and into his first year of high school, Maxwell only dreamed of playing football.
During his eighth grade year, Maxwell began kicking a football into the net behind his home, but he still thought football was something he’d never really experience due to the soccer season taking place at the same time.
That was until Jackson and his father bumped into Swartz Creek football coach Mike Ryan.
“My dad rigged up a tee in the back yard and a soccer net, and I just started kicking field goals,” Maxwell said. “I became pretty good at it and was starting to kick field goals from over 30 yards. I knew the kicker on the football team from two years ago, and he helped me out with what steps I had to take. Well, one day last spring me and my dad saw the football coach, and we started talking. My dad told him I could kick a football pretty good, so coach told me to come out and kick a few balls. I did, and I hit a couple from 30 yards out, and they liked what they saw. They asked me to come out for the team and I said yes.”
Maxwell began kicking for the team this fall while still playing his role as a center midfielder for the Dragon soccer team.
“It’s worked out well for him,” Swartz Creek soccer coach Ken Koffkey said. “He’s not been able to practice a lot with the football team during the week, because soccer is his primary sport, but he’s been doing quite well with field goals and extra points. The only time he misses from soccer is when he has to leave early on a Friday to get to a football game.”
Playing dual sports has also increased the amount of miles Jackson travels during the week. When the Swartz Creek soccer team traveled to Bay City for a soccer game on September 23, he played the game at 4:00 p.m. and then after the game ended, his dad drove him over to Lapeer West for the football game.
“It’s been pretty hard at times,” Maxwell said. “On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have football practice from 3:00 to 3:30 or 4:00 and then go to soccer practice until 6:30. It’s hard, but at the same time its not-so-hard.”
Maxwell has already made an impact for the Dragon football team. In Swartz Creek’s 14-12 victory over Clio, his two extra points were the difference in the game, as Clio missed one extra point and then was forced to go for a two-point conversion.
Maxwell has a 30-yard field goal to his credit this season, but longer field goals are in his future.
“I kicked a 50-yard field goal in practice,” Maxwell said. “I also kicked a 52-yard field goal that hit the upright.”
Maxwell also handles kickoffs for the Dragons and routinely drives the ball to the three- or four-yard line and has put a number of kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks.
“I’m happy to be on the football team and happy to be able to play football,” Maxwell said. “Soccer is my main sport, but I like playing football and look forward to kicking for the team the next two years.”
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