Deion Jackson: Legend in the Making (NCAA08)

[SHaynes23]

Deion Jackson grew up in East St. Louis, Illinois. The Eastside as they know it as is a less than desirable place to grow up. The crime rates are through the roof, and you can't even walk down the street without worrying about something bad happening to you. Deion was raised by a single mother and is an only child, and his mother knew that it was in her son's best interest to get him out of this situation, but no matter how hard she tried, she was unable to give Deion a better situation than what he had currently. Deion knew that his mother would give up her own life for him to be happy, so he was very grateful for that and promised that he would return that gesture and take care of her one day.

From a very young age Deion and his family all knew that he had a gift. That gift was football. His crazy Uncle Earl always took him down to the city park where they would throw the ball around, and even though Uncle Earl couldn't see too well out of one good eye and one eye that had a mind of his own, he could see that Deion could run like the wind and caught anything and everything thrown in his direction. Uncle Earl played a little bit of football back in the day so he taught Deion everything he knew by the time he was twelve, and it paid off because everytime teams were picked for football Deion was always the first choice.

Around eighth grade Deion was approached by the high school coach, Coach Hagans, to play football for the local powerhouse, the East St. Louis Flyers. The Flyers were known as a team that would air the ball out at any given opportunity, which was something that fit Deion's playing style perfectly. As soon as he entered high school Deion hit a growth spurt and started playing for East St. Louis's junior varsity team, where he was very succesful.



When Deion's sophomore year rolled around, he was ready to be called up to the varsity team, where he excelled on special teams and spent alot of time as the school's slot reciever, where he excelled along side two seniors who had the potential to go to D-1 schools, but not the grades. The team came up short in the state playoffs in the early stages against the always dangerous Alton team. He then made it his goal to make the state championship some day and play the state championship at the home of his favorite team, the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Deion's junior year rolled around, and he was the big man on campus. He was now the team's undisputed number one reciever, and he was primed for a year of a lifetime, but there was one small problem, the team's quarterback went down in the summer Jamboree and the backup had the arm of a seventh grader. This lead to a ton of catches for Jackson, but not alot of yards or touchdowns, which was a letdown to many Flyer fans. The team didn't even come close to the playoffs that year, and Deion's dream of making the state playoffs quickly started to dwindle.



His senior season came along though and it was a time of new hope for Deion. He was getting letters from local colleges wanting him to join their teams, but Deion kept his options open because he knew he was poised for a breakout season with his quarterback in full health again, and he knew the division one schools would come crawling. Deion then proceeded to put together one of the finest seasons that anybody at East St. Louis could remember. The type of buzz surrounding him matched that of Darius Miles at East St. Louis in his senior basketball season, one in which he jumped to the NBA.

D-1 schools started calling Deion like he hoped about mid-season, and he realized that this could be the way to get himself and his mom out of East St. Louis and make their lives much easier if he got a good education, or even went to the NFL. The regular season recently came to an end, and East St. Louis has a made a return appearance to the playoffs, and in the first round they would be taking on Danville, a team from the complete other side of the state. Deion has vowed to make these playoffs his launching pad to stardom, and his story starts here......

[TheEdgeOfReason]

Nice start. I'm trying to get into American Football so this should help me understand it a bit more.

[SHaynes23]

Illinois High School Playoffs
Round One
East St. Louis Flyers vs. Danville Vikings

East St. Louis's defense set the pace early in the game after the team lost the coin toss and Danville started with the ball. The Flyer defense made a quick three and out, then it was time for East St. Louis's high octane offense to take the field, led by standout wide receiver Deion Jackson. Jackson got a reception on the very first play of the drive, but that's the only time he touched the ball in the entire first quarter. The Flyers quickly drove down the field, and then running back Jalen Parmelee scored the first of his four touchdowns to give the Flyers a lead that they would never come close to giving up.

For the remainder of the game the Flyer defense stood tall in route to a first round shutout of the Vikings. Parmelee was the star of the game with over two hundred yards rushing and four touchdowns. Star wideout Deion Jackson came around with five receptions on the night, totaling seventy-five yards, but did not find the endzone like he is so used to doing. This was most likely due to the Flyers only running three passing plays in the second half due to having a twenty-eight point lead at halftime.

The Flyers ended up winning the game with a score of 45-0, and that sent them to the round of eight. They are sure to face tough competition in the second round of four, and the Flyers will hit the practice field hard this week because they know the next game will not be a cake walk like this one.

After the game Deion was approached by a few scouts from Division One schools that were in attendance and like what they saw. The teams represented include:

Boston College Eagles
Indiana Hoosiers
Northern Illinois Huskies
Marshall Thundering Hurd
Miami (Ohio) Redhawks
Mississippi Rebels

There is a lack of stat tracking during high school games due to the players being madeup, but they keep Deion's stats since I control him. So the recaps will be short since I'm just throwing stuff out from memory. Once I reach college they keep every stat and tell you when and how you scored every time, so the recaps will be much more in-depth when that rolls around.

[NickC13573]

so do you really play high school games?

[SHaynes23]

Originally Posted by NickC13573

so do you really play high school games?

Yeah, the game starts at the beginning of the state playoffs in your high school career. Then you sign with a college based on how you did in the playoffs. After that you play through your college career and then import your player into Madden to start your NFL career from there.

Too good of a dynasty opportunity to pass up.

[NickC13573]

cool. what system are you playing on, I want to get it on the PS2.

[SHaynes23]

Originally Posted by NickC13573

cool. what system are you playing on, I want to get it on the PS2.

I'm playing on XBox 360.

[TheEdgeOfReason]

Just wondering, do you play as your player only or as the whole team? Sounds like a good game.

[SHaynes23]

Originally Posted by TheEdgeOfReason

Just wondering, do you play as your player only or as the whole team? Sounds like a good game.

I'm playing Campus Legend mode, where the camera is zoomed in close to your player and the only player you control is yourself. The coach calls all the plays so you don't worry about that, and then the route you are suppose to run flashes in front of you letting you know what your role in the play is.

Then when you get to college you have a daily schedule where you have class, then practice, and finally a evening event that will change every night. The evening events give you a couple of choices of what to do during a situation, and each choice will give you a boost or penalty in your attributes.

Another thing you have to worry about is grades. I'm not sure what the exact number is, but if your Grade Point Average falls below a certain level then you get put under academic suspension until you get your grades up.

[TheEdgeOfReason]

Sounds like the kinda game I would love. I'll have to check it out.

[SHaynes23]

Illinois High School Playoffs
Quarterfinal Round
East St. Louis Flyers vs. Lisle Lions

The Flyers and Deion Jackson headed into the quarterfinal round of the Illinois State Football tournament against a team that nobody knew much about. They had been a surprise team all year and won their conference in one of the Chicago leagues to make it into the playoffs. This team, the Lisle Lions, faced tough competition from teams in Metro Chicago, so they were ready for the team from East St. Louis.

Things started off just the way the Flyers like though with a long fast drive, capped off by their star Deion Jackson's first touchdown of the playoffs. That set the tempo for how the day would go as quarterback Cliff Cochran passed the ball all day long, hooking up with Jackson and his other receivers fairly easily. East St. Louis had ran up a twenty-eight point lead by halftime, which was capped by an eighty-one yard touchdown pass to Jackson as time expired in the half.

The second half was much of the same, but the Flyers focused more on dump passes and runs to drag the clock out as much as possible. This allowed the Lions to get a touchdown on the board, but Jalen Parmelee, the Flyers's running back answered with a long touchdown run to seal the deal. The Flyer's put a few more points on the board for good measure and closed out the game with a 63-7 blowout victory as they continue to cruise through the state playoffs.

The biggest positive to come out of this game though was the emergence of Deion Jackson as a big game receiver, and it seems he even came out of his shell slightly tonight, as he did a sommersault front flip into the endzone on his second score, which effectively gave his team a huge momentum boost and caused the heads of the Lions to hang low. After the game Jackson thanked his Mom, his Uncle Earl, and God for allowing him to put up more than two hundred yards, which will go down as one of the best efforts by a receiver in East St. Louis football history.

The Flyers have a huge test in the state semifinals next Friday though as they must face the team from the suburbs of Chicago, the Lansing Vikings. The Vikings come into the tournament as the number two seed, and are one of three undefeated teams left in the tournament, along with the number one seed Mundelein and the three seed, East St. Louis. This battle of undefeateds will decide who heads to Champaign, Illinois next Saturday, which is the home of the University of Illinois Fighting Illini, to battle for the state championship.

After the game Deion was approached by a few scouts from Division One schools that were in attendance and were amazed by the great showing he put up. The teams that wanted to add his great talent to their team were:

West Virginia Mountaineers
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Stanford Cardinal
Michigan State Spartans
Southern Methodist Mustangs
Idaho Vandals

[NickC13573]

NEBRASKA!!!! and WEST VIRGINIA!!!!


go with Miami (OH), they run the type of offense that excels with your type of guy. What do you do when you have to block?

[SHaynes23]

Originally Posted by NickC13573

NEBRASKA!!!! and WEST VIRGINIA!!!!


go with Miami (OH), they run the type of offense that excels with your type of guy. What do you do when you have to block?

Blocking is surprisingly fun. I sprung my running back to a touchdown with a mean block this game. He was running towards the corner on a pitch and the outside linebacker had a shot at him, so I moved over to him and took the OLB out at the knees, sending him flipping over me and giving my RB the open lane. Stuff like that doesn't show up in the statbook, but it sure is fun.

[SHaynes23]

Illinois High School Playoffs
Semifinal Round
Lansing Lions vs. East St. Louis Flyers

This battle of undefeated teams would decide who made the trip to Champaign, Illinois next weekend to decide the best team in the state. Things started off like a bad dream for the Flyers as usually solid quarterback Cliff Cochran threw three interceptions in the first quarter, one of them going back for a touchdown. Coach Don Hagans could be seen screaming his lungs out at Hagans after the third pick, because he knew that if Cochran's game was off, then his star player Deion Jackson would not get any touches.

After being down 7-0 after the first quarter Cochran settled down and started hitting short passes to his receivers to get his confidence back up, and on the last drive of the half he connected with Jackson four times for fifty yards before running back Jalen Parmelee smashed one into the endzone on the ground to tie things up heading into the second half.

Both teams came out of the gates fast in the third quarter as Lansing scored on their first drive with the majority of the yards coming from their big bruising running back. East St. Louis answered in one quick play though as Deion Jackson gave the man covering him a quick shake, then headed deep, where Cochran threw a perfect pass over his shoulder, allowing Jackson to catch the ball on the run without losing a stride and then scamper sixty yards into the endzone to tie the game back up at 14.

The fourth quarter then rolled around and the game was still tied, but that quickly changed after Jackson caught another big pass, this one for thirty-nine yards, and that set up a short touchdown run for Parmelee, giving the Flyers a seven point lead. The Flyer defense then became very tough and the Lions did not do much the rest of the game. They had one play go for twenty yards, but that was the only first down they were able to get. After Parmelee ran some clock off the Flyers senior kicker came onto the field and nailed a forty yard field goal to put the game out of reach and make the final score 24-14, sending East St. Louis to the state championship game.

East St. Louis will be taking on the only other undefeated game left, the Mundelein Mustangs, who are the number one seed in the state playoffs this year. This should be a very fast paced hard hitting game from the campus of the Illinois Fighting Illini, and is an opportunity for the big stars in this game to shine brightly. Deion Jackson commented after the game that this was his dream since he was little, and he will not disappoint, and he plans on cashing in his ticket to the big time this weekend.

After the game Deion Jackson was approached by a number of NCAA coaches from the following schools about enrolling there in the fall:

Louisville Cardinals
Auburn Tigers
Boston College Eagles
Penn State Nittany Lions
Northern Illinois Huskies
Rice Owls

[SHaynes23]

Illinois High School Playoffs
State Finals
Played at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois
Home of the University of Illinois Fighting Illini
Mundelein Mustangs vs. East St. Louis Flyers

This state championship game got off to a flying start when the high powered Mustangs drove right down the field and were quickly knocking on the door of the endzone. The tough Flyer defense held strong though, and they intercepted a pass headed for the back of the endzone, then one of their talented cornerbacks ran it back over one hundred yards for the opening touchdown of the game, giving East St. Louis a quick 7-0 lead. East St. Louis quickly got the ball back and quarterback Cliff Cochran hit star receiver Deion Jackson twice for big gains, which set up a touchdown pass to the Flyers number two receiver, giving them a 14-0 lead out of the shoot. The Mustangs would answer back with a quick strike touchdown of their own though as time ran out in the first quarter, making this game 14-7 after one.

The next several minutes were dominated by both defenses as neither offense could really get anything going, and each quarterback turned the ball over to the other team via the interception. The Flyers broke this trend though after a big punt return, settting up a long pass to Deion Jackson which put them back into scoring range. Cochran then hit Jalen Parmelee with a screen pass, and after Jackson destroyed the cornerback on a vicious block, Jalen had an open strut into the endzone as the Flyers had a fourteen point lead at halftime.

The Flyers started the third quarter much like the first, as they traveled quickly down the field, propelled by two Deion Jackson receptions for first downs. Jalen Parmelee was then given the ball and ran straight up the middle for a twenty-two yard touchdown, giving the Flyers a huge seventeen point lead with little more than a quarter left to play. The Mustangs could not even get their offense started as they were quickly shut down by the Flyers, who got the ball back and quickly put a field goal on the board, making it 31-7 after three quarters.

There was nothing of substance that happened in the final quarter of the season. The Mustangs had two chances to score, but they went three and out on both attempts, and running back Jalen Parmelee just ran the clock down for the Flyers, giving them the state championship.

After the game the Flyers went absolutely crazy as confetti was sprayed from the sidelines. A reporter from the local school newspaper ran onto the field to interview the star of the Flyers, Deion Jackson, so expect to see that hit the presses in the next couple of days, along with Jackson's choice of school that he wishes to attend.

After the big game Jackson was cut of before he got to the locker room by a load of college scouts, the most notable coming being:

Wisconsin Badgers
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Texas Christian Horned Frogs
Auburn Tigers
Boise State Broncos
Rutgers Scarlet Knights