Even if you have never seen Jaxon Cherry on a football field, the words legendary coach Bob Howard used to describe him say it all.

Cherry, a recent Webster City graduate, has been named the 2023-24 Seneca Foundry Daily Freeman-Journal Male Athlete of the Year.

“Football-wise, Jaxon Cherry has the most God-given physical talent –combining size and speed and working to develop that talent ±– that I have coached,” Howard said in a prior interview with the DFJ.

Now headed to two-time defending NJCAA national champion Iowa Western to continue his football career, Cherry leaves nearly every Webster City rushing record behind. He was also a state medalist in wrestling and track for the Lynx.

Webster City qualified for the football playoffs each year with Cherry in uniform, including the last two as the primary running back on one of the top rushing teams in the state. This past fall, Cherry rushed 251 times for 1,891 yards and scored 26 touchdowns, earning all-state honors for a second consecutive season.

“I am very honored and grateful to receive this award,” Cherry said. “To be a Lynx isn’t just about putting on the uniform. It’s about getting a chance to represent your community.

“I am very excited to continue my career at the next level, but I will never stop representing my home in Webster City.”

Cherry was also a leading tacker from his linebacker position, making 80 stops — including 22 for a loss. Cherry plans to focus his attention on that side of the ball at the collegiate level, despite winning offensive MVP honors at the Shrine Bowl.

In the spring, Cherry finished sixth in the discus at state track and placed 10th in the shot put. He earned multiple meet event records during his throwing career.

“What makes Jaxon so good is his combination of speed and power,” said Andy Brim, the long-time WCHS assistant who is now the program’s head coach. “I’ve never seen anyone else like it. The other thing that helps Jaxon on the football field is that he understands the game so well — especially defensively.

“He can recognize things so fast and then to have the speed and power to react to it. That, to me, is what made him great on defense.”

Brim also remembers when the coaching staff knew they had something special with Cherry.

“The game that sticks out to me was during his junior year,” Brim said. “There was a game that he had eight carries for 228 yards and scored two touchdowns in the first quarter.”

Cherry, also the school’s homecoming king, was fifth at 220 pounds as a junior at state wrestling after finishing fourth as a sophomore.

“I will remember all of my coaches, teammates, teachers and community members that helped and supported me along the way,” Cherry said.