Football is back with a new face from Nevada behind the line of scrimmage for the Indians.
Jerry Meyer, sophomore and Nevada native, moved to Texas last spring after a huge season at Lake Mead Christian Academy where he set a Nevada state single-season record of 58 passing touchdowns and a state championship as a freshman quarterback.
“The transition from Nevada to Texas has been a smooth one because I came to Texas because I wanted to play big time Texas football but the only downside is leaving family back in Nevada,” Meyer said.
Meyer has his own individual goals for this season but his main goal is to win a state championship here in Texas on a bigger stage with a new team.
“My personal goal this season is to win a state championship in another state because no high school player has ever won a state championship in two different before.” Meyer said. “I would like to be the one who sets that record.”
Setting records is nothing new for Meyer though as his record of passing touchdowns last season contributed to 2,711 total passing yards. But to him records and big stats are just the cherry on top. He said he never stays complacent but always strives for more.
“The biggest thing going into the game where I set the state record was getting the win for my coaches and my team,” Meyer said. “Setting the record was just a bonus to winning a big game.”
Meyer came from a private 2A school to a public 6A school where play happens against nationally ranked teams such as Duncanville and DeSoto, but Meyer says the pressure doesn’t overwhelm him.
“There is no pressure to playing Duncanville and DeSoto, football is football. If you can play, you play, you just have to go out on the field and compete with confidence,” Meyer said.
Moving from one team to another, especially one with a tight bond like the Indians, can be a lot for a player, but Meyer said Head Coach Tolleson helped him through it. “Coach Tolly has been a tremendous help with my transition from Nevada to Texas,” Meyer said. “He has helped through the adjustment period and has made me feel welcomed since I got here.”
Tolleson, or “Coach Tolly” as he’s called by students and players, said he’s been impressed with Meyer since he first got here, especially the way he is able to lead the team so well during practice and games.
“Jerry leads by his work ethic and his attitude,” Tolleson said. “Everytime we have conditioning he is either first or second all the time. You can’t lead guys on gameday if you don’t lead them during conditioning.”
Tolleson has been the Waxahachie head coach for 3 years and during his time he has led the team to multiple playoffs games. eHe said with Meyer behind the ball, he believes the team can go all the way.
Our goals each year vary in some aspects but ultimately stay the same,” Tolleson said. “Beat Ennis, win district, play on Thanksgiving and win in December. I truly believe Jerry will help us reach these goals.”
This year’s team motto is O.B.S, “Others Before Self”, and Tolleson said he has seen that in not only Meyer but in his father as well since the move here.
“Jerry is a servant leader,” Tolleson said. “He and his dad are very close, wherever you see J3, J2 is very close. Their family has sacrificed a lot in moving to Texas. Furthermore, they are always wanting kids to get together to either throw or build bonds with each other. Therefore, they are always picking kids up or feeding kids just to get them together.”
Not only has Tolleson impacted Meyer but teammate Kohen Brown has helped him much with fitting into the team.
“Kohen and I bonded so quickly. We text all the time before games, we prepare for games together, talk about routes and how we want to run them,” Meyer said.
Kohen, a junior, had similar sentiments to Tolleson about Meyer’s ability and attitude.
“He has been a great leader for this team,” Brown said. “Our QB graduated last year, Ramon McKinney Jr, and we needed a new face to come into the team. He came in filled in that position like it was nothing. But he is also a better friend. We text and hangout all the time, I can go to Jerry for anything.”
It’s clear that Meyer has had a huge impact on the Waxahachie football program, and he continues to amaze the school with his kindness and leadership.He currently holds 11 offers from various colleges.
When you see number three on the field, remember it’s more than football!