By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports

Is Tre Jackson a running back who plays wide receiver?

Is Jarvis Davis a wide receiver who plays running back?

Hang on, maybe both are running backs who play wide receiver. Or the other way around.

Nobody knows and, quite honestly, nobody cares when it comes to the Airline offense these days. All head coach Justin Scogin knows is that it’s nice to have them both out there, no matter where they are playing.

But if there is a need to make it semi-official, here’s the answer.

“Kind of both,” Jackson says. (That’s no help.)

“I’m a receiver who plays running back,” Davis says.

Ding, ding! We have a winner!

Now that it’s (sort of) settled, just don’t be surprised to find either of them in a variety of places when the Vikings take on Mandeville at Airline Stadium Friday night at 7 o’clock in the non-select Division I playoff quarterfinal game.

If you go by statistics, it’s easy to assume that Jackson, a senior, is a running back, but he has more yards receiving (659) than he does rushing (406). Davis, a junior, leads the Vikings with 72 catches for 1,082 yards, but he is also second on the team with four rushing touchdowns.

“We can move them around because they are so versatile,” Scogin says. “You can throw them the ball, you can pitch them the ball, you can hand them the ball and they can return the ball on special teams. Anytime you’ve got (receivers) who can also line up and actually run between the tackles, you’ve got an athletic kid and a tough kid.”

Scogin says they aren’t exactly interchangeable, but close. “Tre is more of a lead blocker, and you wouldn’t really think that way since he runs the ball so well,” he says. “That’s how he changes the game with his ability to be dynamic with the ball in his hands.”

In fact, when the Vikings needed a first down to ice the second-round game against Southside, they tossed it back to Jackson and he picked up 18 yards on second-and-6.

Meanwhile, Davis, the running back, ran for a touchdown and a key two-point conversion last week. Davis, the wide receiver, caught nine passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.

“I love making the big plays, getting the crowd going and helping my team in any way possible,” says. “I had to get used to (playing running back) but once I did, it got pretty easy. I love being in the backfield.”

So much so that when asked what his favorite play to be called is, it wasn’t a deep post or a fade route. “Toss left,” Davis said.

Davis, who transferred from Huntington after his sophomore year, says he was not sure what his role was going to be at Airline but “I was ready for anything.”

The Mutual Admiration Society is quite obvious with these two scoring machines (27 touchdowns between them.)

“Tre is a leader on the field,” Davis says. “He makes sure everybody stays up and leads by example. If he’s doing something, he’s going to make sure everybody else is doing it, too.”

“Jarvis is a very consistent player,” Jackson says. “He does whatever coach tells him to and gives it everything he’s got. He makes big plays in big moments. He’s a special kid.

“I’m not jealous at all when he plays running back,” he adds. “I just try to play my role and do my part. Being a leader is the most important thing.”

Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com