Nyrail Jackson has Greenfield in reach of first winning season since 2001

The kind of speed Greenfield quarterback Nyrail Jackson has isn't something you can teach.

While he might not be the biggest guy on the field, Jackson's almost always is the fastest. Earlier this year, he posted his fastest 40-yard dash time at a football combine at Bethel. Not only did he run it in 4.35 seconds, but Jackson also ran that time twice.

For comparison, the fastest 40-time at this year's NFL combine was a 4.32, and the fastest time ever was posted by the Cincinnati Bengals' John Ross two years ago when he ran a 4.22.

“I can’t say that I’ve ever had a player like Nyrail,” Greenfield coach Don Pitt said. “Players like him don’t come around as often as I wished they did. He’s definitely one of our biggest weapons and really fitting into his role well.”

Jackson put on a show Friday as he led the Yellowjackets past an undefeated Fulton County (Ky.) team 28-16. He rushed for 249 yards with four touchdowns, including a 95-yard run in which he went virtually untouched into the end zone. His monster night put his season totals at 719 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.

Since Jackson made the switch from running back to quarterback, things have opened up for the Greenfield offense. At 4-2 overall and 2-0 in Region 7-A, Greenfield is in prime position to secure its first winning record since 2001. The Yellowjackets are averaging just over 25 points per game, but in three of their four wins they put up 28 points or more.

“I like the switch because it’s fun and has really opened things up,” Jackson said. “It doesn’t just open things up for me, but it really opens things for my teammates as well, which is great.”

The threat of Jackson running the ball – and other Greenfield players taking advantage of it – was in full effect two weeks ago. While it was Jackson who had the big game in Week 6, fellow senior Grant Huffstetler put up 255 yards and five touchdowns in a 49-21 region win over Dresden in Week 5.

While in the past teams might have had to really key on only one player to shut down the offense, with Jackson under center, Greenfield has a weapon that could lead the program to new heights.

“Nyrail just gives us a spark and he’s an all-around great playmaker,” Huffstetler said. “He’s one those guys that can turn a negative play into something positive. It’s so much fun watching him make his moves and then break free for those long runs.”

Greenfield doesn’t have a track team, so Jackson is all in helping the Yellowjackets win and post their first winning season in 17 years.

“This year has just been crazy, honestly,” Jackson said. “We just need keep working hard like we have all season and stay focused.”

More: Jackson area high school football top 10 games in Week 7

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Reach Joe Spears at jspears2@gannett.com or 731-343-4923. Follow him on Twitter @joe_spears7.