LAKE STEVENS — For Jacob Eason it’s about more than football.
It’s been about carrying on the proud tradition of the Lake Stevens Vikings’ program. It’s about being a good role model for young players. It’s about hanging out with friends, teammates and family. It’s about being a part of a community.
It’s about the Friday night lights.
“Just getting to play in front of your school, in front of your town and the people you grew up with,” Eason said. “It’s awesome coming out here and seeing all the super fans, your friends and your family up in the stands at every game. That’s the best part. The Friday night lights are real.”
Watching Eason shine over the past four years has been a favorite part for many local football fans, and Eason saved his best season for last. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound senior passed for 3,585 yards and 43 touchdowns this season and led Lake Stevens to a 12-1 record and a berth in the Class 4A state semifinals at the Tacoma Dome. He was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Washington and was selected for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 9 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Because of his tremendous accomplishments, as well as his commitment to his community, Eason is the The Herald’s 2015 Offensive Player of the Year.
“I must have told 1,000 people this, but I’ll say it 100 more times: He’s just a happy, go-lucky teenage kid from Lake Stevens that happens to be really talented,” Lake Stevens head coach Tom Tri said. “He loves to just hang out with his buddies, or watch a movie, or play video games or go bowling and just hang out with friends. He’s a great leader. … I think that’s part of what he loves about football. There’s a lot of guys he gets to hang out with. It’s a big family.”
Tri, who vividly remembers plays and opponents from games that occurred years ago, can list off the Eason highlight reel. There was the time he threw for 510 yards and six touchdowns his sophomore year in a 53-49 victory over Edmonds-Woodway. The game against Marysville Pilchuck this season where he was a 13-of-13 for 285 yards and three touchdowns — that led to a Google suggestion for “Jacob Eason perfect game.” His biggest playoff win, a 49-14 victory against Graham-Kapowsin in the state quarterfinals on Nov. 21, to send the Vikings to the Tacoma Dome.
But before all that happened, there was the time Tri and the Vikings needed a freshman to fill in at a 7-on-7 passing camp after then-quarterback Gavin O’Neil couldn’t make it because of a select baseball tournament.
The Lake Stevens quarterback coach suggested to Tri that the Vikings cancel their trip to the summer tournament. Instead, Tri decided to see what a 6-foot-2 freshman could do.
Eason led Lake Stevens to decisive victories in its first three pool-play games, and led them to the championship, where they lost 49-42.
“He kept getting better and better as the day went,” Tri said. “You could tell he was having a ton of fun. We got to the championship game and it was because of Jacob Eason. He threw seven touchdowns in the championship game. I remember driving home that day thinking, ‘OK, we’ve got something.’ That was when the light bulb clicked on: ‘He’s only a freshman, but he’s the real deal.’”
The Vikings’ opponents saw that early on, too. Kamiak head coach Dan Mack, whose Knights faced Eason and Lake Stevens in a nationally televised Wesco 4A contest this season, said Eason is “one of the finest players to come out of Snohomish County in many, many years.”
He’s excited to see Eason play on Saturdays, instead of Friday nights against the Knights.
“He just has a great grasp of the game,” Mack said. “He’s crafty beyond his years. He seems to be a very clear-minded player back there. Jacob has a really good sense of what he wants to do when he’s in the game. I think one of the things that sticks out to me is he’s a competitor. He competes. I know he’s a great person, a great individual. Just as an opposing coach, you can see how his teammates rally against him. He has that innate ability to inspire his teammates just through his confidence and preparation.
“He’s the type of kid you root for.”
If he wasn’t lining up behind center, Eason envisions himself as a wide receiver. His father, Tony, played receiver at Snohomish in the 1980s and later at Notre Dame.
The younger Eason enjoys attempting Odell Beckham, Jr.-like one-handed catches in practice.
“If I wasn’t a quarterback, I would definitely want to play receiver,” Eason said. “Even as a quarterback, I love running around and catching passes from whoever else. Just jumping up and making some one-handed grabs. That was one of the things that I never got to experience that would have been cool. But I’m glad I was a quarterback. It worked out for me.”
A local celebrity in Lake Stevens, Eason spent time after each game posing for pictures and signing autographs for fans. He’s recognized around town and routinely has people approach him.
He doesn’t mind.
“I remember when I was a little kid and I saw someone I idolized I’d want to get a picture with them or get their autograph and cherish that. So I’m just trying to return the favor,” Eason said. “It’s really cool because you can give the kids something to dream about doing. Being the quarterback at Lake Stevens is something I always wanted to do and there’s always going to be that one kid out there who really wants to do that. If I can inspire him to do that, then that’s awesome.”
Eason’s much-publicized future is still up in the air. He verbally committed to the University of Georgia prior to his junior year, but the recent firing of Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt has Eason exploring his options, including an official visit to Florida. Eason also visited the University of Washington on Wednesday.
Wherever he goes, Tri, Mack and those who know Eason expect him to be successful.
And while there are bigger things on the horizon for Eason, who sat in the stands at Lake Stevens High School on Monday afternoon reflecting on his Vikings career, he will miss the Friday night lights.
“This is just a great, great town to grow up in and a great town to play football for. I’m going to miss it,” Eason said. “Coming out on this field, I can’t believe I’m not going to play here anymore. It’s so quick. They say it goes quick and I kind of just experienced that. Walking in, around, or near this field I miss not going out and practicing on it.
“Lake Stevens has been good to me. The whole coaching staff, all my teammates, everything about it.
“It’s been a great four years.”
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