Any fan of the NFL has seen Denver Broncos Hall of Famer John Elway's famous "helicopter run" for a first down en route to his first Super Bowl title. That was an all-time great moment in the NFL annals, but it wasn't nearly as great as one moment in California's CIF Division II bowl game on Saturday.
The player you see completing the remarkable run to the end zone in the highlight above is Junipero (Calif.) Gardena Serra High junior Adoree' Jackson, a receiver and defensive back who lit the annual bowl game on fire. On one play in particular, Jackson turned the game on its ear, taking a routine screen past, slipping past waiting hands like a snake and eventually going full Elway en route to the end zone, part of a 42-15 victory against Oakdale (Calif.) High.
As noted by the Los Angeles Times, Jackson was helicoptered into the end zone because his attempt to hurdle a defender met with some minor defensive interference.
"I didn't want to get tackled," Jackson told the Times. "I thought he was going to hit me, so I jumped up into the air."
Jackson played a key role in Gardena Serra's bowl victory, the school's first since 2009. He scored three touchdowns in the game, two on receptions and a third on a mesmerizing fake punt run on which the receiver took the ball 78 yards to the end zone, punctuating the impact play with a series of high steps.
For his part, Jackson's coach Scott Altenberg said that the junior was one of the more impressive athletes he had ever coached, some feat given the past Gardena Serra athletes who had played under Altenberg's charge.
"He's a phenomenal athlete," Altenberg told the Times. "He has a great spirit. He loves the game. He's the guy having the most fun every time he's out on the field."
That certainly was clear on Jackson's most memorable touchdown of three on Saturday.
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