Five in one: The 11-0 Indians' cornerback, receiver, punter, kicker, punt returner

Jackson senior Matt Lang gets uncomfortable when he hears a list of his accomplishments on the football field. He quickly deflects the praise to his teammates.

He intercepted four passes in the Indians' victory against Parkway West.

"I think luck had a big role in it," he said.

What about his 20 catches for 393 yards on offense, including the 78-yarder from quarterback Marcus Harris that set up the winning touchdown in Jackson's district win against Eureka?

"Marcus does a great job at the quarterback position," Lang said. "He puts the ball where he needs to. He just does everything right. I just run the routes and try to catch the ball. That's all I have to do. He does a lot of the work."

Jackson senior Matt Lang kicked off during Jackson's Class 5 District 1 victory over Seckman. (Aaron Eisenhauer)

Lang would rather leave the accolades for his teammates. His father, Roger Lang, said his son is more concerned with the team's success than his individual statistics.

"He doesn't like the spotlight," Roger Lang said. "I hope that we've taught him it's a team. The one thing he really can't stand is someone who showboats. I'm really proud of the fact."

The truth is, Lang has every reason to showboat. Jackson coach Carl Gross said Lang can do everything on the football field, and has showcased his multiple talents throughout the season.

"You lose Matt Lang, you lose a starting cornerback, a starting wide receiver, your starting kicker, your starting punter and your starting punt returner," Gross said. "Basically Matt Lang is five people in one."

Coach, is Lang better at offense, defense or special teams?

Jackson's Matt Lang runs the ball past two Eureka defenders during their game on October 19, 2007. (Aaron Eisenhauer)

"Yeah," the 19-year veteran coach answered.

Gross paused, then offered more explanation.

"One, he is extremely smart," Gross said. "Two, he is extremely competitive. And No. 3, he's extremely tough. If you asked me which one he's the better at, look at his numbers -- 11 interceptions, 20 catches, probably 100 punt returns, 40 extra points, kicked a field goal to give us an additional score.

"If you're the offensive coach, you say he's the best receiver. If you're the defensive coach, you say he's the best defensive back. If you coach special teams, you say he's your best special teams player. He's just steady."

Lang didn't start playing football until the seventh grade. He'd grown up playing soccer, but grew tired of the sport. His father played football at Jackson and Lang decided to give it a try.

"My dad was always a football player and he played at Jackson, and he was pretty decent," Lang said. "He's always been interested in football, and he always wanted his son to play, so I gave it a try. I ended up liking it a lot so I kept with it."

Roger Lang isn't the only former Jackson player watching his son play for the Indians this season. Two former Jackson teammates -- Bruce Collier and Joe Bullinger -- join Roger Lang in admiring the great season their sons have put together this year, even better than their 9-1 conference championship season.

"There's a group of us who played together 30 years ago and our kids are playing together today," Roger Lang said. "We were very good in our day, 9-1 conference champs, but never 10-0. It's very satisfying, very gratifying. What could a parent want more than their kid to succeed and have more success than what whey had in the past?"

The Indians have definitely achieved a high level of success, and Lang is a big reason. He isn't the biggest kid on the team, standing about 5 foot 11, but he makes up for his lack of height with proper positioning.

"I'm very much in awe," Roger Lang said. "He's always been a little smaller, but you know, a lot of heart, a lot of determination. He's not going to be beat athletically, academically. He's just a very smart kid."

Coach's intuition

Gross said he knew Lang was going to be a special player two years ago.

"As a sophomore, we knew he had great quickness and speed, and he was smart," Gross said. "He wasn't as mature then, but we all knew he was going to be a tremendous player. He ended up being a full-time starter on defense as a junior. This year, he kind of assumed the offense, special teams and the returner role."

Lang said he can't decide which role on the field he enjoys the most. He leads the Indians in interceptions and receptions, and is fourth in tackles. He's also kicked 40 extra points and one field goal, making him second on the team in scoring.

"I just try to play as good as I can in all the areas I play," he said. "I try to excel in the positions I play. We had some spots that had to be filled and I worked as hard as I could in all those spots in the offseason. It's just where coach needed me, so that's where I tried to step up as best I could."

Even though he credits his quarterback Harris for delivering the ball, Lang has caught 20 passes for 393 yards and five touchdowns. Lang has the ability to outrun defensive backs and haul in a bomb, or run a short route to pick up a first down.

"This year, I don't think he's had any drops where I put the ball where it's supposed to be," Harris said.

On defense, he's intercepted 11 passes and made 66 tackles. And as the place-kicker, punter and punt returner, he doesn't get a chance to rest. But he said he wouldn't want the chance to rest anyway.

"I think when games are on the line, everyone wants to be in the game," he said. "You try to play a role in it. You get tired every now and then, but I'm a competitive person, and I just want to keep going."

The fatigue at times hasn't slowed him down. He's saved some of his most impressive performances for the district games. That's when he picked off four passes against Parkway West. It's also when he blocked the pivotal extra point, as well as kicked the decisive PAT, against Eureka. But he insists he isn't approaching the late-season games any different than the early season contests.

"I don't think you try to focus on how big of a game it really is," he said. "I think you just need to take it play by play and help out the team as good as you can. Luckily I've been pretty fortunate throughout the season.

"Any time someone does pretty decent, you surprise yourself a little bit. But you just put that game in the past and just try to look forward to the next one. I think everyone on the team can say they want to play at the Dome this year."

Lang's athletic prowess isn't limited to football. He's also a guard on the basketball team and an outfielder on the baseball team. The three sports keep him busy year-round, and he can't pick a favorite.

"Whichever one is in season," he said.

Even though the basketball season is underway, Lang hasn't switched his focus yet. He isn't done with the football season.

"I think it's a pretty big privilege and honor to be able to play for Jackson and be the fourth team to be undefeated," he said. "Hopefully, we can keep it going. There hasn't been a team from Jackson that won state yet, and well, we're trying to put that together and try to be the first."