LJ FB: New role for Stratton

By Ed Piper

Jackson Stratton found himself in a new role.

At the Vikings' game Fri., Sept. 17, the injured senior quarterback, his right arm protected by a blue sling, walked onto the Mater Dei Catholic football field in Chula Vista not starting for the first time in his four years at La Jolla High.

As a fellow "boy wonder" with receiver Mason Powers three years ago, his throws to Powers and others were the stuff of mini-legends, as the word got around that the freshman QB with the long hair could loft a ball a distance.

His sophomore year, the last one before COVID ("B.C."), Stratton threw a lot of completions, and as a young, developing field general, a fair number of interceptions as well.

The Max Smith-led La Jolla football team got better and better, and swept through the Eastern League, then the CIF San Diego playoffs to the Division 3 title, the Southern California championship, then an appearance in the state title game up in the Bay Area. Jackson did his part.

In the midst of the COVID mess, the football team finally got to play under pressure from Scripps Ranch coach Marlon Gardinera and his organization, "Let the Kids Play", among others. The five-game, no-playoffs season was a smashing--though short--success as a follow-up for Smith, Stratton, and the rest of Coach Tyler Roach's program, going 5-0, beating Helix in the process.

Then, a fourth game into the Fall 2021 season, back to full length, Stratton took the hit that he carries a video of on his cellphone, and he's in a sling for "four weeks" (the initial prognosis the doctor told Jackson last week).

"He'll do fine," said the QB when asked about Kevin Steel, his fellow senior and replacement, before the game. Jackson has been seen leading warm-up stretching and other pregame exercises prior to his injury. It was more of the same Friday, even though he couldn't play.

A reporter said, "He'll have to get some experience doing his reads." Jackson affirmed that Steel would do fine. And he did.

I'm sure the University of Washington football program wants to know what kind of person they're getting in Stratton, who has signed a letter of intent to enroll there next year. Stratton has shown more leadership, the support of his replacement during injury, all those things that a college coach would want to hear about in advance of carrying through on his program's commitment to a recruit.

During a game earlier in the season, Roach yelled something like, "That's a throw that a D1 player has to make" from the sidelines. Everybody knows that's where the QB is headed, U of W. The player wears the purple school cap with the "W" on it. It's got to add some more pressure to his season.

Later in the game against Mater Dei Catholic, a 56-18 loss to a talented and big team munching up the defense at some points like some tasty morsels, Stratton went out to the timeout huddle on the field for the offense and dispensed encouragement and advice to Kevin and others. I hadn't seen that before, but Stratton never had a chance to do that before, playing full games and rarely coming out when wins were progressing to blowouts.

It's a new role he'll have to play for at least another few weeks, with Christian High coming in Friday, Sept. 30, then a bye week, then Lincoln for another game at Edwards Stadium Oct. 8.