NATHAN NORMAN -- BOUND FOR GLORY

Nathan Norman, number 47, dodges a Potosi player while another one advances last November. Jackson USA/Don Shrubshell

Jackson High made it to the state championship game two years in a row, Norman's junior and senior year. Few would argue that he is one of the reasons. Jackson USA/Don Shrubshell

Norman recently signed a deal to play for the University of Arkansas this fall. He hopes to play full back.

Many consider Norman to be the best football player to ever come out of the Jackson program.

While Norman is mainly known for football, he recently won the state wrestling championship with a 28-1 record for the year.

Norman admits he hopes to someday play professional football. However, he says he tries not to think about it since it's so far down the road.

Nathan Norman is an all-around athlete, and he's got the resume to prove it.

Norman is perhaps best known for his football abilities, helping lead the Jackson High School football Indians to the state championship game his junior and senior years.

This year, he made first team Class 4A all-state linebacker with only three other players in the state. Many consider him the best football player to ever come from the Jackson program.

While football may be his forte, earlier this month Norman became the sixth state champion in Jackson High School history.

Norman, who lost last year, finished with the remarkable record of 28-1 for the season. Norman said he suffered his one loss to some "kid" from Kentucky, but he doesn't make any excuses.

"He was just better than me."

Football is Norman's favorite sport, however.

"Wrestling doesn't even compare to football. I always knew, even when I was a little kid, that I wanted to play football," Norman said. "We played all the time, since I was 8, maybe even younger."

Norman said he comes from a family of athletes. Norman's older brother Brandon won the 189-pound weight class state wrestling championship in 1988.

Norman started playing football in eighth grade. He said playing during those formative years was like try outs. He said he was just getting himself prepared for high school.

He must have been well-prepared.

The Indians have a 24-5 record for the last two years, each time going to the championship game. Both times, the team lost.

The first year, the Indians lost 12-6 to Excelsior Springs.

"It really wasn't hard to take the first time," Norman said. "I knew I was coming back and I felt the team could pull together and come back again the next year."

Norman didn't blame himself or the team.

"I thought everybody played as hard as they could," said Norman, who played linebacker. "I think it helps taking the loss a little easier, if there is an easy way to take one."

The team did make it to the championship game again last year only to suffer a defeat to Camdenton High School. While Jackson was winning at half-time, Camdenton won its third state title in 10 years, 20-19. Jackson, which built a 13-0 lead in the first quarter and appeared bound for glory, finished its season at 11-3.

"The kids played their tails off," said Jackson coach Carl Gross. "I'm sick for them. They played like champions."

"I feel for Jackson," coach Bob Shore said at the time. "I lost in 1977 by one point. They fought hard and played hard. They have outstanding kids and a great program. It was just a great ballgame."

"You can't blame it on any one play," said Norman. "It's 48 minutes of football and it doesn't come down to one play."

Norman was the final game's leading rusher with 94 yards on 18 carries.

Again, Norman makes no excuses for his team's loss.

"It just comes down to who plays the best."

The second defeat was much harder to take, however.

"It's hard to figure out how it happened. Nobody let down," Norman said. "We had the lead. We just ... lost it."

Norman is more than a great athlete, though. His name consistently appears on the honor rolls, and has since junior high.

"The coaches here in Jackson put an emphasis on the grades first," Norman said.

Norman's future is looking pretty bright, he recently signed on to play for the University of Arkansas. He says their offer surprised him because he didn't even know they were looking at him. He had been considering the University of Missouri-Columbia and Illinois.

"Then I guess they started watching me half-way through my senior year," Norman said.

He believes he's going to be playing full back for the team.

But that's several months away. Norman still has to finish his final semester of high school.

"In the spring I'm going to run track," Norman says. "I've never done that before so it should be interesting."

When playing professional football is brought up, Norman kind of dances around the question.

"Of course I'd like to play with them, but that's too far off to even think about," Norman said.

What advice would Nathan Norman have for those youngsters considering playing high school football?

"It takes a lot of hard work and dedication," Norman said. "And enjoy it while you're there -- it doesn't last long."