Coming into the 2023 season, Avon running back Jakorion Caffey needed 809 yards to become the school’s all-time leading rusher.
Through seven weeks, the University of Cincinnati commit lowered that number to seven yards, and he also needs one touchdown to break a slew of all-time Avon records.
“I am blessed to be in this position, because I know that there are a lot of previous (running backs) behind me that were great also,” Caffey said. “I want to give them (their due). I am definitely excited for it and I cannot wait to break it.”
He already became Avon’s all-time rushing touchdowns leader at 54 to surpass former Eagles running back Gerett Choat (Class of 2016).
Choat is also the all-time leader with 58 total touchdowns and 248 points scored. Caffey enters Week 8 tied with him in each category.
Class of 2007 running back Bob LaRosa is the team’s all-time leading rusher with 3,860 yards. Caffey enters an Oct. 6 matchup against Midview (3-4) with 3,853.
“There have been a lot of great (running) backs here,” Avon Coach Mike Elder said. “Whenever I think of something like this, I immediately think this is a team honor, because there is a lot of people that helped Jakorion (Caffey) get them (yards). I couldn’t be more happy for a kid, because of his unselfish nature of who he is.”
Knowing one of the team’s goals is to win the Southwestern Conference for the eighth year in a row, the attention does not waver his focus on his preparation.
“I keep the same routine and don’t let it get to my head too much,” he said. “I’ll keep the same routine and do what I do on game day. I’m definitely excited to have it at the back of my mind, but I don’t let it get into my head. I still have to play a clean game to get it.”
Avon right guard Matt Muir, a two-year starter, is thrilled along with the rest of the team to see Caffey be so close to breaking the records. The milestones serve as extra motivation for him to block harder, like he did for so many games.
“Every play, we are going to give it our all. Especially seeing what (Caffey) can do (with the ball). If we do our job, he is going to make it happen,” Muir said.
With the notoriety of Caffey and a large number of returning offensive linemen, defenses are geared to stop the back-to-back 1,400-yard ball carrier. That has assisted first-year quarterback Nolan Good under center in taking what defenses give him.
“The eyes that he takes off of me and puts onto himself, opens so many things up. Over the last few weeks, I have been trying to prove that you have to stop me, too,” Good said.
For a team that has the largest point differential in the area at 180 points, Caffey hasn’t seen much of a workload. In turn, that affected his numbers, and he is the area’s fourth-leading rusher this season.
“In some games that we’ve played throughout his tenure, if it’s a poor team that is not very good, I can’t tell you how many times he’s had six carries for 48 yards,” Elder said. “When the chips are down and it matters, he is going to get 20-to-25 (carries). They are all meaningful yards.”
Elder thought this accomplishment was a great thing for Caffey as it is a testament to the way he carries himself as a leader by example.
“He is really good and he is the best player in this county. Nobody can convince me otherwise. He is one of the best players in the state,” Elder said. “I am really excited for this honor because he doesn’t (indicate) ever that he wants that. (The attention) doesn’t matter to him.”
