This has been the year that Kaelib Jarrell has been waiting for.
The current junior had received reps at the varsity level as a sophomore but like many underclassman at Saguaro, there were players future division athletes ahead of him on the depth chart. The 2015 season has been a learning experience being atop the depth chart at safety for the Sabercats but with each passing game, there has significant improvement.
“It means the world to me because I have been waiting a long time for this,” said Jarrell. “I was playing behind Christian Kirk last year, Kamron Johnson. It just means everything to me to be able to prove myself.”
Jarrell received a lot of attention this past spring and summer, picking up offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Oregon State, UCLA Washington and Wisconsin. This season, Jarrell has been on a mission to prove he could be among the elite of the 2017 class.
“It’s been ok,” explained Jarrell. “I’m just trying to get better each week focusing on the little things and just getting better at tackling mainly.”
On Friday night, Saguaro found themselves down 17-13 to Apollo at halftime but were on a mission in the second half, outscoring the Hawks 24-0 in the second half in route to a round one playoff win. In the game, Jarrell committed what was one of the hardest hits you’ll see on a high school football field. It set the tone for the half the Sabercats went on to play.
“Our team is a family,” stated Jarrell. “We’ve gone through a lot of adversity this season and we came out on top. We are just going to keep on getting better each week.”
