JTV Sports Player of the Year
Suddeth anchored Jackson High to eight wins and playoff appearance with dominant running
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Jackson – His summer routine was one dedicated to basketball.
And spending most of that time in the Detroit area playing with his AAU team, Shonte Suddeth admitted there was little time to focus or work on football before training camp started.
“For a few years, I had people telling me, ‘this was going to be the year,’” he said of the football team. “So this summer, I decided to do whatever I could to make sure that happened. I decided I was going to focus on only football.”
So he stayed in the area, putting his basketball homework on hold.
“I went to all the 7-on-7’s. I did the boot camps, the workouts,” Suddeth added. “I took it a little more serious this season. I knew what I was playing for.”
The payoff is impossible to miss, as Suddeth was the go-to guy on Jackson team that had its best season in years, and the junior running back was named 2015 JTV Sports Player of the Year.
“He’s just a great kid and a fanatic player,” coach Scott Farley said simply. “He was so versatile. He did so many things for us on both sides of the ball.”
But he shined brightest in the offensive backfield.
Suddeth finished his junior campaign with 1,326 yards rushing on 162 carries, good for an 8.2 yards-per-carry average.
He also scored 25 total touchdowns, setting a new program record for trips to the end zone.
“I feel like it was a breakout year for me and the team,” Suddeth said. “It probably wasn’t what many people expected, but we had some things go right. … This was the best year of football I’ve ever had. This was a team. We operated as a team. That helped us so much.”
The Vikings went 8-3 this fall, setting a program record for wins in a season while reaching the second round of the state playoffs for just the second time ever.
Suddeth was a huge piece to an offensive puzzle that scored 436 points this year, by far the most in program history for a single season.
“He’s physically a tough kid, a great leader,” Farley added. “And as good as he is as an individual, he’s an even better teammate. He wants the ball because he believes he can help us win.”
Suddeth fondly recalled his best game of the season, rushing for 205 yards and five touchdowns on just 19 carries in a 63-41 victory against Holt.
I felt like we couldn’t be stopped,” he said with a laugh.
While he’s fully entrenched in basketball now, Suddeth said expectations for next year’s football season are soaring.
“It can’t be anything less than what was accomplished this year,” he said. “Any record I set this year, I have to try and break again. There won’t be a single play I take off.”
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu. He’s also the author of ‘Love, Defined; A Dedication to the Love, Sacrifice, and Magic of Motherhood.’
Love, Defined is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Tate Publishing or by contacting Mike directly.