Brown enjoying ‘representing the Nation’ on Farmington team

FARMINGTON

For the first time in four years the Farmington High School football team has found themselves in the 5A state championship semifinals, and this time it’s with Navajo wide receiver Jacob Brown.

Brown, a senior and defensive captain for the team, helped the Scorpions in their journey to another state title. The team earned their last state title in 2013.

Brown said he’s happy to contribute.

“I’m just a team player. I can’t do anything without the team on the offensive side of the team; the offensive line has to block for our quarterback,” he said.

Brown’s role on the team is more important than he lets on, and his contributions have been an added asset.

Farmington head coach Jeff Dalton said Brown contributes in a big way.

“He’s hard to cover, he’s got some God-given attributes with height and speed combined; it makes him hard to cover,” he said. “One or two things happen with him: Either defenses have to focus on him and it opens everyone else, which he’s happy to play that role, or they don’t adjust to his height and speed, and he has an easy time getting open.”

Brown’s journey with the Scorpions began last season.

He started high school at Piedra Vista but transferred after his sophomore year. He started out at Farmington as a junior and had to sit out for a couple of games after having ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery (also known as Tommy John surgery) on his elbow.

Brown said that was perhaps the most difficult part of his last two seasons with the team, but he bounced back and made a strong impact in his first season.

“I started out as a safety, then wide receiver, but I had to work my way to being a corner for the playoffs (last season),” he said.

Dalton said Brown automatically proved himself as a junior.

He said he and the coaching staff saw potential in him and something told them he would go far in his final two years of high school.

“Jacob’s always been good at just playing football, and in the best sense of the word, play, he likes to have fun. He always practices hard and we knew that he would find a role on this team and he’s just taken off from there,” Dalton said.

“Doing something like that can be stressful on a young man and he’s just learned to deal with that stuff better. He’s become a great teammate, he’s become a leader, and we always know what we’re going to get out of Jacob.”

---