Gazette MVP: Good genes, good habits help Wadsworth's Jackson Herbert achieve

Healthy doses of genetics, nutrition and hard work helped turn Wadsworth midfielder Jackson Herbert into the total package for boys soccer. The owner of nearly 4.3-second speed in the 40-yard dash and 12-pack abdominal muscles, the incredibly fast and sculpted Herbert parlayed those attributes into a scholarship from national college soccer power Akron. It's only fitting, then, that Herbert has now capped his high school career by winning the Gazette MVP award after his 14 goals and seven assists as a senior led the Grizzlies to a 14-3-1 record. "He has the ability to change a game in an instant," 26-year Wadsworth coach John Johnson said. "He has the pace to exploit people, but when he's in situations and drawing double coverage, he'll dish the ball off. He is the most dangerous player I've ever coached." Herbert inherited his speed from his father Joe, a former football player and sprinter at Highland, and mother Lisa (Desroches), a former Miss Massachusetts who reached the top 10 of the 1992 Miss America competition. Joe and Lisa are chiropractors, so Herbert grew up understanding the makeup of the human body and the importance of eating a healthy diet that includes plenty of lean meat, chicken and fish. The 18-year-old also loves to work out and now has the type of physique found on the cover of muscle magazines. Having added 20 pounds of defined muscle since his freshman year, the 6-foot, 165-pound Herbert has only 7% body fat and is just as fit from a cardiovascular standpoint. "I feel 100 times stronger," he said. "My freshman year it was easy to push me off the ball, but now I feel pretty solid. "Fitness is something I focus on a lot. With my athletic ability, being able to play very hard the whole game is an advantage. Pairing that with my experience and ability is a lethal combination." A first-team Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association Division I All-Ohio pick as well as an All-Suburban League National Conference selection and three-time All-Gazette honoree in soccer, Herbert is not a one-trick pony. After finishing eighth in the 400 meters in 49.21 seconds at the 2022 D-I state track and field meet, Herbert would have returned in the spring with one of the top five times in D-I, but he instead will follow the same path Medina quarterback Drew Allar took to Penn State a year ago. Herbert, who was being recruited by Ohio State, Cleveland State, Coastal Carolina and Dayton for track prior to choosing the pitch, will finish his education at Wadsworth in December, then begin taking classes at Akron in January so he can simultaneously work out with the highly touted Zips soccer team. The plan is to commute for the first semester, then live on campus in the fall of 2023, when soccer requirements will become more rigorous. "I will miss track, but I've got a great opportunity in front of me," he said. "I think I should put my full attention to it and see what comes of it." While Akron coaches have discussed the possibility of moving Herbert from the midfield to right back, right now the only thing he is concerned with is earning playing time with the Zips. History strongly suggests he will succeed, as Herbert has excelled at every level of his career to this point. The first significant step occurred when he was 13 and began playing for Team Challenger FC, which was coached by current Brunswick boys varsity coach Ben Dotson. "At that age, it was him and everyone else," Dotson said. "The rest of the kids seemed to be in slow motion. He was fast and had a nose for the ball. He's the fastest kid I've ever coached in terms of flat-out, pure speed." Within a few years, Herbert was playing against national competition while traveling the country with Team Challenger. He still stood out. "When I started playing against kids that were better than me, it made me get better," he said. "That was the biggest thing for me." The success translated to high school as well, as Herbert finished his career with 52 goals and 23 assists while often employing a style all his own. "He bores you," Johnson said with a laugh. "He just stands and kind of waits for the ball to go through, then he takes off. He's so explosive on that first step, but instead of constantly moving and having a defender track him, he hangs back. You think he's not engaged, then he just takes off. You can't keep up with him." Herbert makes those runs look effortless, and he can make two or three of them in a short period of time and still not be breathing hard. "As hard as he works and as fast as he runs, he never breaks a sweat," Johnson said. "I could jog a half-mile and I'd be drenched, but he just has that thing about him that's unique to elite-type athletes." Having taken up soccer after kicking the ball around the backyard with a Miss Massachusetts winner when he was 4, speed always has been a vital part of Herbert's game, but it's not the only part. He worked hard to improve his ball skills and field vision, which made him a better all-around player once word got out that he had a scholarship to Akron and opponents began game-planning specifically for him. "I've based my style on my athletic ability and that helped me get where I'm at now," he said. "After announcing the commitment, there was definitely more attention, but that's part of the game and the job that comes with it, so I accepted it." Next up for Herbert is a likely transition to right back, which he played a bit early in his soccer career. "It's not completely foreign to me, but I will have to adjust to it," he said. "It shouldn't be that dramatic of a change. "There's nerves going into it, but me being an athlete, you want to surround yourself with the best competition. I'm pretty excited about it." A fairly quiet, lack-back and practical type, Herbert is doing his best to take things one step at a time as he prepares to begin his career with the Zips, but like all kids he has dreams. "The short-term goal is to have a successful career at Akron, then maybe to spin off into coaching or something that keeps me involved in soccer," he said. "The long-term goal is something I've dreamed about all my life. "I'm going one step at a time, but ideally I want to get through Akron and then pursue a professional career." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on Twitter.