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Moments after Nixa football came back to defeat Lee’s Summit North in a Class 6 state quarterfinal, Jackson Cantwell wore a cheesy grin.
Moments before, the five-star left tackle, ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the 2026 class, helped sophomore quarterback Adam McKnight lead the Eagles down the field for a game-winning touchdown pass with 10 seconds left. Without the drive, Nixa wouldn’t have appeared in its first state championship in a decade.
“That was the most fun I’ve ever had playing football in my life,” Cantwell said. “You can print that tomorrow.”
After leading Nixa to its best football season in program history, we proudly announce that Cantwell has been named the Springfield News-Leader’s 2024 High School Football Player of the Year.
It would have been hard to ignore the greatest prospect to ever come through Southwest Missouri and the season he had. After all, he was one of three finalists for the Gatorade National Football Player of the Year honor. Pancaking 158 players in a single season will do that for you.
Nixa Eagles offensive lineman Jackson Cantwell (79) and offensive lineman Hunter Jensen (60) lead the Eagles to the field before a MSHSAA Class 6 Quarterfinal game against the Lee’s Summit North Broncos at Lee’s Summit North High School in Lee’s Summit, MO on November 22, 2024.
He was also the premier player on one of the best offensive lines to come through the region. It wouldn’t be fair not to mention the likes of Oakly White, Jacob Lile, Hunter Jenson and Hayden Mays here, too. All five were named First Team All-Central Ozark Conference East, making it one of the more remarkable units to grace an Ozarks high school football field.
The numbers the Cantwell-led unit put up spoke for themselves. The Eagles rushed for 3,710 yards in 14 games against Class 5 and 6 opponents. Their best game came in…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nixas-jackson-cantwell-named-news-093047439.html
Author : Springfield News-Leader
Publish date : 2024-12-18 09:30:00
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