Senior Jordan Herron’s entire life has been dominated by sports.
Growing up in an athletic environment, Herron has been developing his ambitious athletic mindset from a very young age. And he doesn’t plan on stopping now.
“Growing up seeing my brothers and cousins play football, I just had the same mindset as them,” Herron said. “I carry [their influence] with me, and I still want to be better than them, so I just hold a ‘grudge.’ It always makes me want to improve myself.”
But familial pressure didn’t end with competition. As he developed his athletic abilities, Herron also felt extra pressure from his father, who was a well known athlete when he was Herron’s age.
“My dad was always hard on me, he [had] high expectations for me. And since I’m his son, he expected me to do more than him,” Herron said. “My dad was a great person, [he] was the greatest at his school.”
For Herron, the balance between his mother and father’s attitude towards his athletics helped him bounce back after tough criticism. While his father wanted perfection, his mother was always around to help him refocus on the sport.
“[My dad] was always pushing me [to find] what I could do better. And I’d just get down on myself. And it’s sad. I just lost focus,” Herron said. “My mom was always there to help me on track.”
Herron is currently a multi-sport athlete; he plays varsity for both the basketball and football teams. Despite being well-regarded for his football talent, Jordan has gravitated towards basketball since he was a child, and didn’t expect to start playing football.
“Just growing up, I liked basketball more. My older brother played basketball. And my dad played basketball,” Herron said. “Everybody played basketball, and I just always wanted to be that basketball ‘person,’ and somehow football got me.”
Still, Jordan is able to find individuality in football.
“I’m just different from other people, [I have] different things that I can bring to the table like speed, catching, all that stuff,” Herron said. “And I feel like in basketball, everybody can do that. Everybody’s fast. Everybody can be physical. I feel like that’s different from football.”
Despite his love for basketball, Herron more acknowledged talent lies in football. In the 2023-24 season alone, Herron ranked top 19 in Colorado for total yards, top 5 in Division 5A in total touchdowns, and ranked first in rushing yards, total points, and total touchdowns in 5A Centennial. Herron is hoping to repeat this success on the basketball court, and his individuality it seen by more than just himself.
“He’s improved every year for sure in basketball, and of course in football as well,” head boys basketball coach James Hartsfield said. “He’s just an athlete and so we know that he’ll be able to bring a different dynamic to our team.”
For most high school athletes, the dream is to play in college, Herron is no different. But in order to make it to college leagues, he feels constant pressure to be the best he can be, both in sports and as a person. His efforts haven’t gone unnoticed.
“He’s very respectful, well mannered and just a good kid to be around,” Hartsfield said. “That makes us coaches happy. We know that he’ll be a good teammate.”
Still, Herron sees this progress as a continuous motion.
“I find myself every day [trying] to become the best person I can,” Herron said. “And I want to be the best to come out of Creek. [Criticism] just pushes me even harder to make it to college [basketball] and make it to the league and just prove everybody wrong.”
