The seeds were planted in the soil of disappointment 52 weeks ago. From that grew an entirely different quarterback.
Center Grove’s attempt to come back from a 20-3 deficit in last year’s Class 6A state final against Carmel came up three points short, but even in defeat, Tayven Jackson<br class=""Apple-interchange-newline"" />completed 11 of 12 passes for 119 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter to offer a tantalizing glimpse of what might be in 2020.
The junior hasn’t disappointed. In his second year as a starter, Jackson has been incredibly effective as the Trojans’ field general, steering the ship through a trying set of circumstances and landing his unbeaten squad back at Lucas Oil Stadium for another shot at the ultimate goal.
Coach Eric Moore says Jackson has followed an upward trajectory similar to that of his older brother, 2019 Center Grove graduate Trayce Jackson-Davis, who also had his breakthrough year as a junior before winning Mr. Basketball honors and moving on to Indiana University, where he’s now an All-America candidate going into his second season.
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"I thought in the back of my mind, ‘If Tayven develops like Trayce did his sophomore to junior year, we’ve really got a player," Moore said. "And he did. He put in the time and effort. Strength, diet — he watches his diet really well — but just his fundamentals of the position have really improved. He throws a really good ball; the ball comes out of his hands wicked fast. He’s gotten physically stronger on the field, and he learns how to play the position a little bit every week. He’s a sponge when it comes to learning about the position."
Jackson has clearly soaked up plenty. He’s upped his completion percentage from 52.6 as a sophomore to 62.9 this fall, and he’s far less turnover prone — after throwing 10 interceptions last year, he’s tossed just three this season while piling up 15 touchdowns.
And while the top-ranked Trojans haven’t had many close games, Jackson has delivered whenever the moment has called for it.
In the much-hyped Week 9 clash with Class 5A No. 1 Cathedral, Center Grove got the ball back with just over a minute left facing a 13-10 deficit. Jackson was 4 for 4 on the game-winning drive, hitting Trent Veith for a 14-yard touchdown with 16.4 seconds remaining.
The 6-foot-4, 193-pound Jackson believes the hard lessons of last season helped set the stage for this season’s successes.
"Just having that experience and knowing what to do in situations," he said, "the big games where we have to go at the end of the game, I know what to do, because we had so many drives last year where we came up short."
There haven’t been many of those drives this season; the Trojans have converted more than two-thirds of their offensive possessions into touchdowns. The success has been driven by a lethal balance between Center Grove’s always-solid ground game and the improved air attack.
When Columbus North stacked the line and dared Jackson to throw, he carved the Bull Dogs up and completed 15 of 16 passes for a career-best 264 yards. Such performances have forced defenses to focus more on the pass, which cleared the way for running backs Carson Steele and Daniel Weems to dominate in the regional and semistate.
"The last couple of games, Warren and Ben Davis, they keyed on our passing game, and it just opened up our running game," Jackson said. "It’s good for Carson and Daniel to have a defense to key on the passing so their running game will work, and it’s good for me to have Carson and Daniel, because if they key on the run game, I can open it up and do what I do.
"A lot of defensive coordinators, they struggle against us because they don’t know what to stop. It’s hard to stop a team with three offenses and a couple of D-I players in the backfield."
Jackson has become one of those Division I prospects, earning scholarship offers from the likes of Arizona State, Cincinnati, Indiana and Michigan State.
With those offers have come high expectations, similar to those that the entire Center Grove squad has shouldered since the preseason. While some might not be comfortable with that added burden, Jackson is embracing it all.
"Personally, I think it’s cool to have those expectations," he said, "because that just tells you that everyone … knows what your potential is.
"I’m just trying to show what I can do."
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<strong>State finals</strong>
<strong>At Lucas Oil Stadium</strong>
<strong>Class 6A</strong>
Westfield (12-1) vs. Center Grove (13-0), 7 p.m.
<strong>Class 4A</strong>
Hobart (11-2) vs. Roncalli (12-1), 3 p.m.
Tickets: $15; check with Center Grove or Roncalli athletic departments about availability
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