‘Electric’ Easter does all that’s asked

McGehee’s Jody Easter doesn’t come off the field much for the Owls, and he readily admits it can be tiring at times.

The versatile junior wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I’m always going to do all I can for my team,” he said. “I love those guys, and to get to this point, it’s an honor. We all worked hard this year to get to where we are.”

That hard work has McGehee in a place where it hasn’t been in 21 years. The Owls will make their return to War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock today when they face defending Class 3A champion Harding Academy in the final game of the 2020 high school football season.

Easter has had a hand in getting McGehee to Little Rock, where the Owls were a mainstay during the late 1990s.

The 5-10, 165-pound standout has more than 1,000 yards in total offense for McGehee (12-0), which won titles in two of its three trips to the finals in 1997-99. He has been especially good during the postseason.

He returned a punt for a touchdown to help the Owls beat Prescott 44-39 in the quarterfinal round, then carried 15 times for 52 yards and caught 4 passes for 72 yards during a 20-18 victory last week over Hoxie in the semifinals. He also scored on an 18-yard run against the Mustangs.

“Jody’s one of a supporting cast of young men that go out and play hard,” said McGehee Coach Marcus Haddock, who was an assistant coach for the Owls when they shut out Nashville 28-0 to capture their last state title in 1999. “He’s one of our skilled players that’s electric. He does bring an added dimension to our football team. Our guys know that anytime he touches it, there’s a chance that it can go to the house.

“He’s a very tough runner. Not very fancy, not a lot of cuts, not a lot of shake and bake, just a lot of running hard.”

Easter has carved out a niche for himself on defense as well with more than 50 tackles and nine interceptions for a defense that’s giving up just over 10 points per game.

“He’s got some good defensive prowess, too,” Haddock said. “He likes to come up and lay some lumber. He’s fun to watch and great to have as a teammate for these guys.

“It’s going to be fun to get him out there on this fast track [at War Memorial Stadium] and see what he can do.”

Easter said he has intentions on doing a lot for McGehee, which saw its season come to an end against Harding Academy a year ago in the quarterfinals. Tired or not, the two-way performer insists he’s ready to do what’s needed to make sure the Owls don’t experience that same feeling.

“I’m going to do anything to win it,” he said. “I love playing both sides of the ball, and I’m going to put everything out there on the line. To come out and win the game would be big because it’d be done with the people I love.

“We know it’s going to be tough, so we’ve got to be ready for everything. But I know I’m going to go hard from the start.”

“He’s got some good defensive prowess, too. He likes to come up and lay some lumber.” McGehee Coach Marcus Haddock on running back/defensive back Jody Easter