Count Carmel senior Jarren Black among the wide receivers who want the ball in their hands.
Black likes his chances when his number is called.
But he also has perspective. He sees the talent around him and has concluded that his success will be measured in wins, not catches.
“I try my best to find a way for the quarterback to get me the ball,” Black said. “But I can also help the team if I find a way to make a play without the ball in my hands.”
The best way for receivers to show that is by blocking, and Black is an active participant in this often overlooked area. He looks back at a touchdown run by Donovan Dey in the Corsairs’ season-opening win against Grayslake Central. Black’s seal block helped bounce the senior running back onto the perimeter.
“There have been a couple of times this year where I’ve come up with a big block,” Black said. “One of the things we preach is to try to be great at whatever you do.”
Black, a third-year varsity player, did what he could to be great in the season opener. But he had two touchdowns, including one on a pass from sophomore quarterback Trae Taylor, called back due to penalties.
“The first one was on a jet sweep, and I actually saw the hold as I ran by,” he said. “The second was a slant where I got all the way to the sideline. Once I got to the end zone, I looked over at our sideline and saw everyone with their hands on their heads. I couldn’t believe it.”
People in Carmel’s program not only believe but know Black is more than capable of consistently making those types of flash plays. Although he has been limited to 11 receptions for 158 yards this season, partly the result of a lingering shoulder injury, he has emerged in the past two games with 10 of those catches.
“He’s gotten better every year, and he’s developed real playmaking ability,” Carmel coach Jason McKie said.
McKie and Black are in agreement that Black’s best attribute is his ability to gain yardage after the catch. That was on display on the called-back slant in the opener and played a big part in a 46-yard hitch that Black took to the end zone during the Corsairs’ 42-20 win against Marian Catholic last week.
That was one of Black’s two touchdown catches in the game, making up for the two that got away and putting on film the kind of plays that opposing defensive coordinators don’t like to see.
“He uses his speed in space, and he’s really good at getting separation,” McKie said. “He’s got an elusive style and makes good cuts.”
One of the major reasons for Black’s improvement is his work ethic. His strength, picking up yards after a catch, was a particular priority before his junior season.
“It depends on fast reaction time and getting upfield as soon as you catch the ball,” Black said. “You want to make sure you’re going north and south instead of east and west.”
Good old-fashioned repetition is another way Black stays on top of his game. He and one of the team’s JUGS passing machines have become very close acquaintances, with Black using it daily before practice and during a break in the middle of workouts. He starts with 10 balls from a midrange distance and then moves forward until he reaches a point where there’s virtually no time to react.
“I try to catch five in a row from close in to test myself,” Black said. “I’m probably 8-10 feet away for the last round.”
As Black nears the end of his high school career, perhaps no one is more qualified to measure how far he has come than senior cornerback Jordan McKie. They’ve been teammates for more than a decade and have spent countless hours together on and off the field.
“I always knew from the work he put in that he would be special,” Jordan McKie said. “I know what he’s capable of. He caught a pass over me just today in practice. These next few weeks are a big opportunity for him to show his talent to everybody.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
