Daviaughn Reagan is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Marcos de Niza for AZPreps365.com

Jacob Irick looks like a physical specimen, standing 6-feet tall and weighing a chiseled 200 pounds. The Marcos de Niza middle linebacker/fullback, however, is much more than just a football standout.

Irick holds a 3.8 GPA, with aspirations of going to college and obtaining a degree. Coaches and family are proud of the young man he is becoming.

“I want to be successful for the next 40 years of my life,” Irick said. “If I need to get good grades and work extremely hard in order to do that, then I will.”

“Academically, I am very proud of how hard he works,” mother Lisa Irick said. “It’s always been an expectation in our household, and he’s definitely lived up to that expectation.”

Football for Jacob was a no brainer in the Irick family. “My husband played football and it’s safe to say we are a sports family,” Lisa Irick said. “The more you can be involved in, the better.”

Irick wasn’t always the hard-hitting player, slamming into whoever wore a different colored uniform. At age 7, Irick graduated from flag football to tackle. He initially played on the offensive line.

“I was doing anything I could to help the team win,” Irick said.

Winning was common for Irick during his youth days. In the eighth grade, his youth football team traveled to Orlando, Fla., to play for a national championship, which it won.

Irick's most impactful coach was his father.

“He was my offensive line coach when I first started, and he’s been by my side ever since,” Irick said.

Since arriving at Marcos de Niza, Irick has had three head coaches in four seasons. His sophomore season the team went 3-7. His junior season Marcos de Niza finished 5-5 and made the playoffs.

“Junior year playoffs against third-seeded Canyon Del Oro down in Tucson, I hit someone and made him fumble the ball causing momentum to swing in our favor, resulting in an upset win,” Irick said. “That is my proudest moment while playing at Marcos de Niza.”

“Seeing the pure joy and excitement on his face is priceless,” Lisa Irick said.

Irick mans the defense and leads the charge on offense for the Padres. He leads the team with 10.7 tackles per game. The Padres are  2-1 under coach Anthony Figueroa.

“He’s a football player,” Figueroa said. “Wherever you put him on the field he’s going to make something happen.”

Expectations are high for Irick. He’s the leader, the voice and action for the Padre football team.

“I am just proud of the teammate he is,” Lisa Irick said. “He’s doing whatever he needs to do to make sure his guys are OK out on the field, from being the first to help them up, calling the plays and aligning them before the ball is snapped.”

Irick is poised for success. He's attracting college interest from schools across the country to further his football aspirations.

“I see Jacob doing well in life,” Figueroa said. “Whatever he puts his effort into, he has all the attributes and intangibles to do great things."