Naejuan Jackson has scored three touchdowns in a game, but never four. Until Friday night.
The Sunlake senior saved one of his best performances for one of the Seahawks biggest games. Jackson scored three rushing touchdowns and caught another in Sunlake’s 42-14 victory over Land O’ Lakes. The win puts the Seahawks in the driver’s seat of the Class 6A-District 6 race.
On Sunlake’s second play of the game, Jackson sprinted 33 yards for a touchdown. He scored on the Seahawks second possession of the first quarter when he took the handoff 69 yards to the end zone.
Land O’ Lakes finally got on the scoreboard with one minute to go in the first when senior quarterback James Pensyl connected with Darien Gilberston for a 14-yard touchdown. Pensyl left the game later in the second quarter with a shoulder injury.
The Gators tied the game at 14-all with 5:31 to go in the first half when Austin McGuire capped off a 13-play drive with a three yard touchdown run.
But just before the end of the half, Sunlake regained the lead with a 47-yard field goal from Chris Wilkinson. Click on the video to see how Sunlake pulled way in the second half.
***Before the game, Land O’ Lakes held a special ceremony on the track for Kris Keppel, the Gators longtime cross country coach who is battling pancreatic cancer. School officials honored him with a new street name outside the stadium – Keppel Way. ***