Jake Cole

• Post by: mcalibrary
• December 19, 2023
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SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Jake Cole is a member of that very exclusive fraternity comprised of terrific high school athletes who become even better as college players.

Former Tornado assistant coach, Carm DeFrancesco, remembers Jake as “The consummate team player and leader” a kid who even then outworked everybody else. He was a dedicated weight trainer, especially in the off-season.

He was known for his solid, consistent play; but occasionally he’d demonstrate flashes of brilliance which were an indication that his best was yet to come. In a game against Marian he had a 95 yard TD run that is one of the longest ever for a Tornado back. Against Pottsville, he returned an interception for 101 yards to score, the longest in MCA history.

Nobody considered him especially fast; yet he ended up as the leading sprinter on the Tornado track team as a senior.

He continued to grow after high school, and became a solid 200 pounder at Wilkes. Last year he led the Colonels to a 10-0 record, the MAC Championship and a spot in the Division III National Playoffs. He was the defensive star od a team that was nationally ranked in every defensive category.

Big players play their best in big games, and in the National Playoff Game he had 10 tackles and 2 sacks. Afterward, he was named 1st Team MAC, all East Coast, and most impressively First Team All American, Division III.

Still a leader, he has been elected team captain by his teammates, as Wilkes attempts to use last season as a springboard for the National Championship this year.