By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports
It’s now late October and yard maintenance issues are starting to significantly tail off. That may be good for Joe Homeowner, but not so good for Jacob Tibbett.
The high school senior has been in the lawn service business so long that “my dad had to take me to my first few jobs because I wasn’t old enough to drive,” he says.
With the grass semi-stagnant, Tibbett is now on a schedule in which he only needs to handle half of his clientele one week and the other half the following week. Throw a few November frosts in there and the workload will drop even more precipitously.
But if you think Tibbett comes home after school and sits on the couch eating Cheez-Its and watching Netflix all afternoon, think again.
He’s got plenty of work to do to fill his time.
Tibbett just so happens to be an All-District linebacker for Calvary, one of the top-ranked teams in Class 2A. He’s been in the starting lineup for the Cavaliers almost as long as he has been working in yard care.
He’s a four-year starter at basically whatever position the Cavaliers need him to be. Early in his high school career it was on the offensive line. Since then, he’s been at linebacker but still sees some time as the first substitute on the offensive line when needed.
And just in case you thought school was nothing more than a casual hobby, Tibbett also carries around a 3.95 GPA.
All of that and knows how to re-thread a weedeater?
“Yeah, it’s slowing down, Tibbett says. “I think I got my last yard tomorrow. You’ve got to watch the weather. And you’ve got to know when practice is going to be.”
“He’s a hard worker,” Calvary coach Rodney Guin says. “He’s willing to play any position we put him at. Offensive line, linebacker (it) doesn’t matter. He’s a leader on defense, and that’s where we needed the most.”
So much so that Guin says he wouldn’t hesitate to let Tibbett cut his lawn except “he lives too far from my house.”
But don’t think Tibbett will start taking things easy once football season is over: He’s also been on the Cavs’ varsity soccer team (as a goalkeeper) since the eighth grade.
The key for Tibbett, however, is to delay switching shoulder pads for shin guards as long as possible.
You certainly like the Cavaliers’ chances. They are 7-1 and currently have the No. 2 spot in the LSWA Class 2A Top 10, and are sixth in the LHSAA’s Select Division III power rankings. They’ll take on Magnolia School of Excellence (0-8) Friday night at Jerry Barker Stadium.
“I just want to be a leader,” the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Tibbett says. “I want us to do better than last year. Just always improving. I just love the game.”
It’s been an interesting season for Calvary, which hasn’t lost a district game since before Tibbett even mowed his first lawn. Last week, the Cavs traveled to New Orleans to take on two-time Select Division II state finalist Archbishop Shaw, a Class 4A power.
Even though Calvary lost 24-7, the step up in competition may pay off in the end.
“It definitely was a step up, but I feel like we had a chance to win,” Tibbett says. “So we have the confidence that we can do it. Now we have to apply what we’ve been learned and get it done.”
Tibbett has got a lot invested in his high school career, but that’s not the only place. He’s been using his lawn business revenue to start an investment portfolio.
“I’m just saving right now and investing in stocks, honestly,” he says. “My dad got me in that.”
“Great kid, raised by great parents,” Guin says, “and he does everything right.”
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com