MONROE — Two years ago, JJ Jerome found himself at a bit of a crossroads.
At that point, he was already showing signs of becoming a dominant football player for Monroe High School, but after his grandmother passed away, he struggled emotionally.
“That really took a toll on me,” he said. “I wanted to quit school a couple times, just say, ‘Yeah, I’m done.’ But I managed to stay with it. I’ve had a lot of support from my family members, my teammates, my coaches. I am pretty blessed.”
The blessings keep on coming for Jerome and the Bearcats. Entering Monroe’s Friday showdown with Lake Stevens in a battle of undefeated Wesco 4A squads, Jerome is the area’s leading rusher, tallying 1,642 yards on 134 carries, with 18 touchdowns. He’s added 250 receiving yards on 18 catches and four scores.
His season peaked Oct. 7, when he set a school record by rushing for 363 yards in the Bearcats’ 56-7 win over Mariner.
At 6-foot and 210 pounds, Jerome is solidly built, and possesses enough strength to run over defenders. But he’s also got enough speed to run past opponents. When his deft pass-catching skills are added to that mix, it’s easy to see why Monroe coach Michael Bumpus calls Jerome “an all-around back.”
“He does a little bit of everything,” Bumpus said. “He’ll run through guys. He’ll make guys miss. If he doesn’t handle the ball, he’ll block. He’s got good hands. He’s pretty much your prototype, every-down back. He does everything for us, pretty much.”
“I just try to read my linemen and do my best to find holes and make plays,” Jerome said. “I feel like I have the speed to outrun people, and that’s what I try to do, but if I have to be nasty, I’ll try to be nasty and I’ll try to run people over. I feel like I’m known more as a power back, which is cool, but I feel like my speed helps a lot. I feel like I’m underestimated in the speed department.”
Jerome, whose younger brother, Joshua, is also a standout player for the Bearcats, is relishing the chance to play a significant role on the defensive side of the ball, where his hard-hitting mentality suits him well.
“I’m a little more raw at linebacker because I haven’t done it much in the past couple years,” he said. “But now that I need to step up on both sides of the ball, I’m going to approach it as being a (leader at) linebacker as well as running back. I just like playing football, so put me in at whatever position and that will probably be my favorite position.”
It’s a good thing Jerome likes playing football, because he’s going to get the chance to play after graduating from Monroe this spring. Bumpus said that Jerome has an offer from Montana State, and Army and Eastern Washington are interested in his services. Some schools are looking at him as a running back, and others see him as a linebacker.
But if Jerome has his way, he’ll end up at Army, or one of the other military academies.
“I’ve always been a military guy,” he said. “I’ve always fantasized about the brotherhood aspect of it. I remember when I was younger, watching television, and (I knew) that if I did that, I could totally fulfill my life. I’ve always had an emotional response to the military.”
There’s a good chance that Jerome would flourish in a military setting because it seems as though he prefers to be in a team environment. He played baseball at Monroe during his freshman and sophomore years, but joined the Bearcats’ track and field team last spring in an effort to improve his speed for football. He missed baseball, however, and plans to return to the diamond this spring.
“(His teammates) like him,” Bumpus said. “He’s done a great job of staying grounded, staying humble and keeping it all about the team. He’s fun (to coach). He’s an emotional kid, and he’s receptive to coaching. He wants to play for you. Once he loves you, he’ll love you to death, and he’ll do anything for you.”
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