High school football: Medina's Pete Jarvis is big tackle -- with a personality to match

Diminutive safety Tyrann Mathieu brought the honey badger mentality to the mainstream when he hammered opposing ball carriers as a member of the LSU Tigers in the early 2010s. The nickname spread like wildfire, often applying to undersized but tough-as-nails players with a chip on their shoulder. Standing 6-foot-2 and checking in at approximately 280 pounds, Medina right tackle Pete Jarvis doesn't fit that physical stereotype. The senior certainly has the infectious personality, though, and goes to war against defensive ends with traits such as being fearless, thick-skinned, resourceful, unwavering and ferocious. Reigning Ohio Division I co-Offensive Player of the Year Danny Stoddard and All-Ohio receivers Austin Knowles and Jack Wojciak certainly appreciate Jarvis' abilities as the sixth-seeded Bees (9-3) prepare for a rematch with second-seeded Cleveland Heights (11-1) in a D-I, Region 1 semifinal Friday at Strongsville's Pat Catan Stadium. Despite playing offensive tackle for only three seasons, Jarvis holds offers from D-I Toledo and D-IIs Lock Haven (Pa.) and Clarion (Pa.) and may be the program's best O-lineman since Medina switched to the five-wide system in the middle of the 2018 season. "For me, I love it. I think it's fun," Jarvis said of being "on an island" with no other linemates to help him protect. "A lot of people think it's hard, but I'm always up for the competition. It doesn't matter who I'm on. I always think I'm better than anyone I go against. "I'm going to say honey badger (mentality). They're going to attack, but I'm going to stand my ground." Jarvis began his career on defense but switched to offense during the 2021 preseason when it became clear to coach Larry Laird, who also is the offensive coordinator, that the Bees needed more quality protection for then-starter Drew Allar and heir apparent Stoddard. Jarvis had never pass blocked in his life, but his top-notch coachability and unwavering confidence made him a quick study. That wasn't to say there weren't rough patches, however, and Jarvis laughed when asked what the toughest transition was. "I was just taking everything in and study as hard as a I could," he said. "Not holding (was the hardest part), even now. It's always hard because you want to get your hands inside, but you're always getting them outside. "This offseason, when we would train, if you got your hands outside of the box, you had to do five push-ups. No one wanted to do five push-ups, so I really tried to focus on that. It's just really mental. That's really all it is." Jarvis kept grinding and entered the starting lineup as a junior, when Medina averaged 45.2 points on 489.8 yards (409.1 passing), repeated as Greater Cleveland Conference champion and reached the Region 1 semifinals before losing to Mentor. His game has reached a new level this fall, as Jarvis has not directly allowed a sack in nearly 500 pass drops. That's an incredible statistic considering the Bees often roll Stoddard to his right hand, directly toward Jarvis' protection. What makes Jarvis special is his combination of aggression and fundamentals. If an end aligns wide, Jarvis will cheat out a bit, remain square and push the end's dipping shoulder pads into the turf. If an end tries to shake and bake, Jarvis will drop his hips, widen his base and cut off any angle. If an ends tries to hand fight, Jarvis will use cat-like reflexes to slap down and punch to regain control. And if an end tries to bull rush, Jarvis will catch him, get hands under the end's shoulder pads, arch his back and drive. "His attitude is always upbeat. I also love his feet," Laird said. "He's got great feet. If he was 3, 4 inches taller, he'd go anywhere he wanted because he could carry a little bit more weight. ... He's that good. He's very, very good. "(I'm impressed) that he's become the football player that he has. I'm not sure he really understood the game when he first started three years ago, and now to be one of the better offensive linemen in Northeast Ohio, in my opinion, and to become a team captain, that's saying a lot about his work ethic and grit — not only physically but mentally." While Jarvis' No. 1 priority is to keep Stoddard upright — the QB has 4,777 yards total offense (813 rushing, 3,964 passing) and 59 combined TDs (13 rushing, 46 passing) this season — there's a childlike twinkle in his eye when he talks about the running game, which the Bees have used more than recent years but still don't prioritize. Jarvis' highlight film is filled with just about everything college coaches want to see. Jarvis pancakes foes in the pass game and run game, sets the edge of the pocket, shows agility to get to linebackers and even DBs on screens and shuts down nearly every pass-rushing move in the book. Ol' No. 77 is definitely Medina's unsung hero. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it. "Obviously we're going to miss his talent, but we're also going to miss his attitude," Laird said. "He's just a great kid — a great, great kid." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.