HE HAS ONE HAND, BUT ALSO, HE’S “GOT IT”
Jordan Jackson, Castle View’s one-handed star, never takes no for answer
CASTLE ROCK» There were so many things Ellery Jackson Jr. worried his infant son Jordan might not be able to do.
Some were childhood bench marks, like tying his own shoes, picking up his dishes or riding a bike. Others were a bit more difficult, like fitting in at school or playing contact sports. Just the sort of things most dads worry about with their children.
But Jordan wasn’t like most infants. He was born with a rare condition called Amniotic Band Syndrome — meaning he only had one hand.
So Ellery worried. And worried.
“As an infant it was always at the top of my mind on how he would be treated, because kids can be cruel,” Ellery said. “He rolled with everything. Not only that, but he really didn’t listen to anyone as far as anyone telling him no (you can’t do that).” That included his own father.
Like when Ellery would bend down to help Jordan tie his shoes.
I got it, dad.
Or when Ellery thought twice about letting Jordan play football in grade school.
I got it, dad.
All these years later, Jordan Jackson is a senior star fullback/linebacker for undefeated Castle View High, and he still refuses to take no for an answer.
“He wanted to be like the other kids,” Ellery said, “and wasn’t going to be denied.”
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Jordan heard the other children when he started kindergarten.
“People would whisper, ‘Oh, he’s got one hand,’ ” Jordan said. “It bothered me for a little bit until probably about like third grade, then I really just stopped listening to people who were making fun of me about it, because really it doesn’t matter what they think. … I knew that I had friends and all of my friends didn’t mind it.”
One of those friends was Josh Pinello, now a teammate at Castle View.
They played all sorts of sports together as kids but didn’t get on the same football team until eighth grade. And what Pinello saw then was a player who popped.
“He always ran harder and he had a mentality that you weren’t going to stop him,” Pinello said. “He was always the kid that was going to run through somebody and he was going to tackle somebody. … He was always a kid that made a difference.”
Jordan started out on the offensive and defensive lines. He was bigger than most his age, and had no problem getting physical, so it made sense.
But once he got to high school, Jordan got into the weight room and everything changed.
With the help of Castle View strength coach Patrick McHenry, Jordan figured out how to execute a variety of lifts. Bench press, squats, cleans — he did them all again and again, transforming himself into a hard-hitting linebacker and bruising running back.
“There was nothing that was going to stop him,” McHenry said. “He was going to figure out a way that he’s going to make it happen in (the weight room).”
Now, at 6-foot, 220 pounds, he’s the one others in the Castle View weight room measure themselves against. His max bench: 290 pounds. His top squat: 570.
This past offseason Sabercats football coach Todd Casebier brought his players in to rep 225 pounds on squats. Most repped it around 18 to 20 times. Jordan went for 55.
Each of his touchdowns are accompanied by a specially choreographed handshake with Pinello, and his errors receive the same punishment as everyone else.
“He never ever makes an excuse and we don’t ever give him a chance to make an excuse,” Casebier said. “That’s just the way he is.”
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Earlier this season, Jordan and Coach Casebier were playing catch at the start of practice.
“I was throwing him some passes and I said something about, ‘Not that I’m going to throw to you in a game.’ ” Casebier recalled. “And he said, ‘Coach, I have the best hand on this team.’ “
At the very least, he’s got the best legs.
As a junior last year, Jordan ran for 1,003 yards and 17 touchdowns. This year, he’s racked up 280 yards and three touchdowns in four games, while also leading the Sabercats with 23 tackles as a middle linebacker.
“The thing with Jordan is, he’s a good football player,” Casebier said. “One hand, two hands — he’s a really good football player. That’s how he sees it and that’s how we see it.”
A few colleges see it that way, too. CSU-Pueblo has shown interest, Jordan sad. He’s also heard from Wyoming, Colorado State and the University of San Diego. With a 3.7 GPA, getting into those schools shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
But that’s just the beginning for Jordan. He also wants to follow in the footsteps of his favorite player, Shaquem Griffin, and play professionally. Griffin, who was also born with Amniotic Band Syndrome, lost his left hand when he was 4 years old, but managed to earn a spot at the University of Central Florida and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft.
“I was watching my little brother’s flag football game and I saw (the news) on my phone,” Jordan said. “I got pretty emotional because it was something that I’ve always dreamed about and been looking for, but now it seems a lot more attainable to me because I know if I work hard enough like he did that I can make it there.”
With the help of some Castle View supporters, Jordan got to meet Griffin last year after a Seahawks training camp practice.
The message: Don’t stop working, and never give up.
Of course, that shouldn’t be a problem for Jordan. His father knows that better than anyone.
“Sometimes I can’t believe that this kid that I’ve been trying to protect ended up the way he is,” Ellery said. “He proved me wrong. He proved that to a lot of people.”