Friday Night Lights: A Big Advantage

Jaxon Simonson was born to play football. He is the son of a coach and was blessed with tremendous size as well as god-given ability.

But despite all his immense physical tools, his greatest asset is his drive to be the best. That is what transforms a good player into a great one and that is why he has a chance to play college football next season.

Yet, Simonson, the consummate team player, isn't worried about college scholarships or playing on Saturday's next fall, his main concern is helping the North Star Knights get back to the Class C Six-Man state playoffs.

"I haven't gotten into that very much," said Simonson when asked about college football recruiting. "I have just been focusing on this year and whatever happens after this year happens. But I want to get through this year and give it my best shot."

Simonson, a 6-4, 275-pound lineman is a rare breed in the wide open game of Six-Man football. Linemen with his size and ability are hard to come by at any level of Montana high school football so Simonson, who also led the Knights in receptions last season, gives North Star a distinct advantage.

"There aren't a lot of guys that we play against that are as big or fast as me," Simonson said. "It helps me get better blocks for our running backs and our quarterback. I am just trying to make sure that they don't get hurt and give them a big hole to run in.

"It does give us an advantage, but it gives the other team an advantage, too," he added. "I play on the right end and we usually run it on the right side, so the other team knows what is coming, and it's just kind of like, try and stop us."

In Six-Man football, all players are eligible, so Simonson also catches a few passes a game. But even though he is living every offensive lineman's dream, he prefers blocking and tackling as opposed to having the ball in his hands.

"I like to block more than I like to catch the ball," Simonson said. "It's good every once in a while to go out for a pass, but I like to battle it out in the trenches."

When asked whether he prefers playing defense compared to offense, the All-State lineman chuckled and said, "heck yeah. I love playing defense. You get to fly around and hit people. Any play I will just hit somebody, it's my favorite thing to do."

But things have not always come easy for Simonson on the football field, not with his dad, Steve Simonson, watching him every day. But truth be told, the coaching for Jaxon Simonson started a long time ago.

"(My dad) is always the hardest on his son," Jaxon Simonson said. "He is always hard on me and always wants me to be perfect, and I try to give that to him every day because if I don't I am going to hear about it here at the house. But that's what I like to do, give it my perfect effort every time I step onto the field."

Jaxon Simonson, who also plays varsity basketball for the Knights and competed at the Class C state track meet in the shot put last spring, doesn't want to talk much about where he might play college football. But did admit it has been a long-time dream of his to lace it up at the collegiate level.

"I would love to play college football," Simonson said. "Ever since I was a freshman it was my dream to play college football. I don't know who I would want to play for, I just really want to play. When you grow up with a coach as your dad, it's everything that's on our TV, it just kind of (gets) me trying to make my dad proud. I love football, and it's something I want to take pride in and make my dad happy. I would love to do that for him, I think he deserves that for all the help he has given me over the years and for being such a good father that he is to me."

As much as Simonson dreams of one day playing college football, he is still more focused on the task at hand, which is helping the Knights get back to the Six-Man playoffs and making a deeper run after losing out in the first round a year ago.

"Losing to Mon-Dak last year in a close game kind of left a bad taste in our mouths," Simonson said. "So our goal is to get back to playoffs and get farther than we did last season."

The Knights (1-0) are off this week before traveling to Box Elder (1-0) for an important divisional matchup in the North Division of Class C Six-Man Football.