Lake Stevens’ Eason struggles in All-American Bowl

SAN ANTONIO — The game didn’t go the way Jacob Eason, Tom Tri and the East team were hoping.

But the experience at one of the premier high school football all-star games was special nonetheless.

Eason and his East squad fell behind early and couldn’t mount a comeback in a 37-9 loss to the West team Saturday afternoon at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

The game ended a week of practices and festivities that Eason, the now former Lake Stevens quarterback, and Tri, his head coach at Lake Stevens, got to attend.

“It was a great opportunity to work with other coaches across the nation and represent Lake Stevens,” Tri said. “And learn a lot in terms of how other guys run their programs. Unfortunately, we just had some trouble (Saturday). I’m a little bummed about that but it is what it is.

“I had a great week. I really learned a lot and had a lot of fun with the other assistants on the East staff. There are some great coaches and some great guys. There are certainly things I will take back home and implement.”

The U.S. Army Bowl is one of the most prestigious high school games in the country, with its alumni including Andrew Luck, Odell Beckham Jr., Percy Harvin, DeSean Jackson, Jermaine Kearse and LeSean McCoy.

Eason and the East squad struggled Saturday afternoon, fumbling the snap on the first drive of the game. The West jumped out to a 13-0 lead and was in control the whole way.

“It’s tough to get into a rhythm on offense,” Tri said. “Everybody learned a whole new offense including myself. It’s tough getting everyone on the same page. … We had a bad snap there in Jacob’s first drive. He wasn’t ready for the snap and that led to a fumble. That’s not the way you want to start the game out that’s for sure.”

Eason appeared to injure his hand in the game and looked to be in a bit of pain on the NBC broadcast after a few plays. Tri said Eason injured the thumb on his throwing hand earlier in the game and reaggravated it on his final pass — hitting a helmet on the follow through.

But Eason stayed in the game and helped the East team drive down the field before an interception in the end zone late in the game.

“I don’t think it’s broken,” Tri said. “I looked at it briefly toward the end of the game and it wasn’t extremely swollen. Hoping just bruise.”

Eason, who rotated every third series with fellow East quarterbacks Feleipe Franks and Jawon Pass, finished 6 of 13 for 71 yards and an interception.

“Jake did a great job,” Tri said. “He was very humble and got along with his teammates really well. I’m pretty sure that he picked up at least one recruit to go to Georgia, maybe two. … He did a great job. He represented Lake Stevens and the Pacific Northwest in a fine fashion. Execution-wise, we could have played better but all week he was working hard.”

Friday night Eason was selected as the 2016 U.S. Army Player of the Year, an award recognizing the top senior player in the country. Eason was previously named the National Gatorade Player of the Year, the USA Today Offensive Player of the Year, the Associated Press Player of the Year for Washington and the Everett Herald’s Offensive Player of the Year.

The 6-foot-6 Eason threw for 3,587 yards and 43 touchdowns while leading Lake Stevens to the 4A state semifinals this season.

“While every U.S. Army All-American player has shown excellence both on and off the field, one player has distinguished himself from the rest,” said Mark S. Davis, the deputy assistant secretary of the Army for marketing, in a statement. “This year, we would like to recognize Jacob for demonstrating character, leadership and athletic excellence. We congratulate Jacob on his achievements and selection as the 2016 U.S. Army Player of the Year.”

Eason will now travel to the University of Georgia to enroll early this week — Eason starts classes on Monday — as he makes the transition from high school quarterback to college player.

Tri is excited to see how that turns out.

“He’s jacked up to start the next chapter of his life,” Tri said. “What a tremendous opportunity for him. He’s got five or six kids here that are going to be there (at Georgia) and he’s looking forward to meeting his new teammates and classmates and starting a whole new chapter.”