During KHS’s game against McCluer North Saturday, Aug. 30, Jerod Alton, junior, had a rough start, considering his football background. The son of a college football player and brother to KHS’s all time leading rusher, Ramon Alton, Jerod had already muffed a kick and dropped a pass early on in the game. But for a player who is active on all three phases of the game (offense, defense and special teams), what stood out the most was his consistency in effort, not performance, according to head varsity football coach Matt Irvin.

“He’s a kid that loves football and really wants to be successful, but he’s also a really good person at times,” Irvin said. “A lot of people have pointed to him as being very gentlemanly and someone who’s very cordial.”

Following that theme, Alton was sure to give a shoutout to the offensive lineman for, “stepping up during the second half and opening things up for our game plan.” That game plan largely included Alton and helped lead to his huge bounce-back performance later on in the game. That bounce-back included a punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter that put KHS ahead of McCluer, a game-sealing interception and several key runs late in the game. Yet, as the self-described unselfish team player said, a Kirkwood win is the most important thing.

“If somebody’s outshining someone, as long as they’re doing their job and they’re helping us win, that’s all I care about,” Jerod said.