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Irvine's Curtis Jackson is playing for the South in the O.C. All-Star Game.
Irvine’s Curtis Jackson is playing for the South in the O.C. All-Star Game.
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OCVarsity is putting the spotlight on the players taking part in the O.C. All-Star Football Game on July 8 at Orange Coast College.

For this edition, we have selected … Irvine’s Curtis Jackson.

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PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: CURTIS JACKSON

These all-star football games can give a shine to the diamonds in the rough, and Irvine safety Curtis Jackson is one of the hidden gems of the South roster.

While the Irvine football team struggled in the fall and went 2-8 overall, Jackson has opened the eyes of the coaches of the South team. Coach Mike Maceranka of Laguna Hills said Jackson can cover the field end-to-end, and he called Jackson “unbelievable.”

Jackson was named first-team All-Pacific Coast League on defense and led the Vaqueros in tackles with 65 solo tackles and 115 total tackles. Jackson also showcased his athleticism by being second on the team in rushing, averaging over 13 yards per reception and threw a touchdown pass.

Jackson will continue his career at Saddleback College.

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THE Q&A

Q: What’s it like to be an all-star and be named to this team?

A: Man, it’s awesome. It’s fun. It’s a blessing, I can say that. It’s just a good opportunity to meet new people. It gives you the opportunity to have that last high school game when you think your season’s over.

Q: What are you looking to get out of this all-star game experience and going into your first college season at Saddleback?

A: I’m looking to progress. Get faster. Get stronger. Get better. And play against higher competition. All of these kids are all-star players, and it’ll be good to have competition.

Q: What drives you to play football? What’s your inspiration?

A: My mom is my inspiration. I lost my mom over a year and a half ago, and she’s always been my inspiration for football. I always played football for her, and I always wanted to show her a better life and try to accomplish something that she never had growing up and that I’ve never seen growing up.

Q: How did your mom’s passing change you?

A: It changed me a lot. It made me become a stronger man, a better man, and mentally, I just got focused. It was like it’s go time. It gave me a strength that I never had and gave me a push that I never had. It definitely lit up a flame underneath me and got me on fire.

Q: You definitely play with a passion out there. What’s your favorite part about playing football?

A: Man, my favorite part about playing football is contact. I like to hit people, and I like to make plays. Also, I like the brotherhood. It’s a family, man. I’ve always been an only child, so now I’ve got a bunch of brothers out there with me.

Q: Do you have one hit in your career that you can remember that really stands out?

A: I had one here at Laguna Hills. The receiver was going to catch the ball. I hit him and he was done. He just sat there. I tried to help him up. I put my hand down to help him up and he didn’t respond. Then the referee called me out and told me to get out of the game because my kneepads were too high. I looked down and my kneepads were below my knees. I look at my coach like, “What’s going on?” And he’s like, “C’mon. You know why.” That was my favorite hit.

Q: This was not Irvine’s best season. What’s it like to come out of a situation where the team wasn’t so great, but you’re able to get this opportunity? What does that mean to you?

A: It’s a blessing. The record doesn’t prove who you are and how you’re coached and how you played. For me, football’s all about heart. If you’ve got heart, then you can do whatever, no matter if you’re on an 0-10 team or a 10-0 team. If you go out there every day and give it your all and show that you can compete with guys that are going 10-0 and winning all these games, then there’s no chance you can look down on yourself and say you can’t do it.

Q: Where do you ultimately see yourself in your football career?

A: I try to set my standards high. I believe that after I finish my time at junior college I’ll probably get picked up somewhere. My goal since I was a kid, I wrote this down when I was six years old, that I want to play in the NFL. Because I wanted to give my mom something she never had. My mom grew up in a rough city and I grew up there half of my life and then she moved me out to a better city for me. She wanted me to get better. I’m going to try to get to the National Football League. That’s where I think I can go, to be honest.

Q: Last one for you, and it’s a little off the wall. I played for Laguna Hills, and we played Irvine all of the time. When we were playing Irvine, I asked (my friends) what they were? It was the Vaqueros. At the time, I had no idea what a Vaquero was. It was kind of a strange word. Do you know what a Vaquero is now, and did you know when you moved there?

A: I didn’t know what it was when I moved there. I found out when I got there in my sophomore year. It’s a Mexican cowboy. For me, I think it’s kind of funny that now at Saddleback I’m going to be a Gaucho, and a Gaucho is another Mexican cowboy. The Mexican cowboys don’t ever leave me.