Win over North Shore in 2014 was start of legacy
As the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs gather in Pheonix for next Sunday’s Super Bowl LVII, Houston fans from Channelview and throughout the city will have their eyes on a favorite son, Eagles Quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Jalen has become well-known nationally, leading the Philadelphia Eagles this year to the Super Bowl, with a 14-3 record in the regular season, and subsequent play-off wins.
However, his rise to fame began in October 2014, when as a junior quarterback for his high school team, the Channelview Falcons, he led his underdog team to a 49-48 victory over the dominant North Shore Mustangs with a 38-yard Hail Mary pass with no time left. Thus began his claim to fame and his legacy.
Jalen was playing under the tutelage of Averion Hurts, the head coach for Channelview and his father. After that win in 2014, recruiters began to follow his performance. He continued to show promise with a technique that included record-setting passing and rushing.
Jalen excelled through hard work and determination to succeed. He was recruited by top football schools such as Texas A&M, but chose Alabama under coach Nick Saban. At Alabama he was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year, and Freshman of the Year, but lost 35-31 to Clemson in the National Championship Game.
Thus would start a tale of doubts and setbacks along with his successes. Although he led the Crimson Tide to the 2018 Title Game against Georgia, he was pulled for Tua Tagovailoa in the game that Alabama won. He spent much of the next year as a back-up, and decided to transfer to Oklahoma.
At OU he led the Sooners to a winning record in 2019, losing only to LSU in the semi-finals. He finished second in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, after LSU’s Joe Burrow.
In the 2019 NFL draft, Jalen was the second-round pick by Philadelphia, and named starter late in the season. He led the Eagles to the play-offs last season, and this season was one of five finalists for the NFL MVP Award.
Jalen continues to get support and advice from his coach father, his brother Averion Jr., and support from his whole family who usually attend his games. This year they will again be in the stands, for the Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona.
His father summed it up, saying “I am proud of the man he has become.” And this feeling is shared by all of his fans, friends and former teammates, as he continues to represent the best of Houston’s #Eastside.