Webb City High School senior Jackson Dodson, a linebacker for the Cardinals, knows exactly where he stands, “I am looking forward to going to war and competing alongside my brothers and coaches for all 2880 seconds of game time. We will outwork all of our opponents.” That kind of precision and dedication will hopefully take Dodson and his teammates exactly where they want to go, “The main goal I’m focusing on is a state championship. I’m willing to do whatever the team needs me to do to achieve that goal.”
The Cardinals compiled a 10-3 record last season, placing second in the COC. Their season ended with a disappointing 21-20 loss to rival Republic in the State Semi-finals. With a large group of seasoned returners, Webb appears primed to make a deep run again this season, and Dodson is not backing away from his role, “My role on this team is to be a high trust, high character individual, while working extremely hard at whatever my coaches have laid out for me.”
Jackson’s own path has not been without adversity, but he has taken his setbacks in stride, and he appears to be ready for one final challenge on the high school gridiron, “I had surgery to repair an injury and completed physical therapy to build back my muscle. Now I am back to 100% and am ready to grind toward my goals.”
As for the team, Dodson feels they are also ready to grind, “In the wise words of DB, our Co-Defensive Coordinator, ‘You’re either getting better or worse every day.’ We have to keep stacking good days on good days and getting a little bit better every day. The worst feeling in the world was when that clock hit 0 last season. We’ll use that loss to motivate us this season.”
Dodson deflected any individual attention, and rather, was happy to attribute credit elsewhere, “I am a believer in Jesus. Without Him I am nothing. All Glory to God. The biggest honor I have received in football is being able to play football at Webb City High. We have the best coaching staff in the country. They put in countless hours for the team. It has been such an honor to be a part of this program.”
Jackson, also a star in the classroom, carries an impressive 4.033 GPA and plans to attend Missouri University of Science and Technology to become an aerospace engineer.
