Ja-Mhi Jackson thankful he’s found a new home with Spartans

Ja-Mhi Jackson was encouraged when he saw that his new team ran the Wing-T offense, same as he had back home with the Yonkers (N.Y.) Force.

I got this, he figured.

Then he took a look at Wyomissing’s play book. The plays were similar but the numbering system for backs was different. And when he got on the field he saw the Spartans playing at an entirely different level than he was used to.

“The program here is excellent,” Jackson said. “Everyone’s together. Football is really big here. In New York, it’s not as serious as Wyomissing football.”

Jackson showed up a couple of days into heat acclimatization practice not quite sure of what to expect. His Spartans teammates weren’t sure about him, either. It didn’t take them long to figure each other out.

“The first week of (practice) I realized he was a player,” said Wyomissing linebacker Jack Miller.

Jackson — who goes by “JJ” — is 6-3, 240 pounds, and hits like a freight train. He might not have known the intricacies of the Spartans’ version of the Wing-T but with the ball in his hands that didn’t often matter. He simply plowed people over.

“He is a big, powerful guy,” said Wyomissing coach Bob Wolfrum. “He’s hard to handle. We realized (right away) he was the real deal. He was serious about it.”

Jackson saw time at both defensive end and fullback in the Spartans’ opener. He scored on a 19-yard run in Week 2 at Pottsville. By the third week he was a fixture on defense, helping add one final piece to a unit that’s been the best in Berks.

“Obviously, he’s an amazing player,” Miller said. “He’s been a huge help for us on the defensive line; he picked it up insanely quick.”

He got one carry at Southern Columbia and left a lasting impression, bowling people over on a 14-yard run.

“The crowd was in awe how he knocked some people over,” said Wolfrum. “I imagine it’s not fun to go against (that).”

Jackson, a senior, has played a prominent role in the Spartans’ unbeaten season and their advance to the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinals; they’ll play unbeaten Scranton Prep Saturday at 2 at Mifflin Stadium.

Had it not been for COVID Jackson wouldn’t be here.

His step-father, Melquan Santos, lost his job managing a housing unit for teenagers with mental disabilities and criminal records because of the pandemic. Ja-Mhi went without in-person instruction at school for more than a year, and it adversely affected his grades.

Santos and Ja-Mhi’s mother, Latoya Pettiford, were concerned that their Yonkers neighborhood could bring Ja-Mhi down. Santos said some of the kids Ja-Mhi grew up with had become involved in criminal behavior. They realized they needed to make a change.

Santos’ uncle, Marvin Armstead, lives in the area and encouraged him to bring his family to Reading. Santos was familiar with Berks County after visiting family over the years. He made the move in the summer.

“It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” Santos said. “To see how happy (Ja-Mhi) is. I could never imagine it would work out this good.”

Jackson fit in quickly with his new teammates; he said they were gracious and “put me on to everything I need to know about Wyomissing.”

The Spartans have benefited from the move, no doubt; they’re deeper and stronger than they were before. It’s Jackson who has the most to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving holiday. The move changed his life dramatically. He was struggling with virtual learning.

“It wasn’t a learning experience,” he said. “I felt like I really didn’t learn that much; it was just a bad year.”

His experience with the Spartans could give him a chance to play in college.

“Educationally, it’s really great,” he said. “It’s way better than New York. Football-wise, it’s really great, too. It’s not mostly about football at Wyomissing, it’s about family and how we work together. You can’t win games without working together as a team.”

“We truly lucked out,” said Santos. “It’s peaceful knowing he can attend school without worrying about knives, guns and gangs. We often talk about how we wish every child from our hometown could grow up in an area like this. Every child deserves to experience this.”

It’s an unusual story, for sure.

Moving to a new school, adapting to a completely different culture, joining the football team and earning a starting berth — especially on a team as established and strong as Wyomissing’s — is the kind of thing you might see in movies.

“That’s just not something that happens very often (here),” Wolfrum said of seeing someone transfer in and make such a sudden impact. “You could count on one hand (how many times it’s happened).”

Much as he loves his new school and teammates, Jackson misses home. He misses that New York pizza. He misses the guys he grew up playing with.

“I had friends there,” he said. “Nobody can replace the people you grew up with, and the people you play football with when you were young, so I really miss my home town. Everybody knows me (there).”

Jackson now has two places to call home.

“He’s one of us now,” Miller said. “We love him.”