A life of faith leads Reifenschneider to Cooke award
It may be hoops season, where Garaway senior Jackson Reifenschneider has had a strong season as part of the Pirates’ team, but he recently earned the 2023 OHSFCA State Gerald Cooke Man of the Year for his acumen on the gridiron, as well as for his walk in life.
The journey to the gridiron for Garaway senior Jackson Reifenschneider was not an easy one.
It was a long and arduous trek that at one point left him to believe he would not be playing football ever again.
Yet his faith led him through the fire, and his determination and positive outlook paved the way for a successful football season that saw the Pirates garner the school’s first-ever state playoff experience.
At year’s end Reifenschneider, a defensive end, had earned second-team All-Ohio honors.
However, that one paled in comparison with what was to come.
Late in 2023 Reifenschneider received the 2023 OHSFCA State Gerald Cooke Man of the Year.
Cooke, a retired teacher, assistant football coach at Zanesville High School and longtime president of the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association, was honored with the Army Commendation Medal and National Guard Patriot Award for his work with the Buckeye Guard, an organization established for Ohio high school football programs to support troops overseas and at home.
The Cooke award is based on humanitarian efforts, athletic and academic accomplishments, and outstanding character.
To qualify for the honor, Reifenschneider and his mom wrote up several pages of his ordeal and his life. He said he shared history in-depth, without any expectations.
In receiving the honor, he accepted the accolade with the same humble attitude with which he approaches life.
“I was totally blown away. This award represents not just me, but our community and especially my mom, who instilled all of these qualities in me growing up, like loving others and treating them like you want to be treated,” Reifenschneider said of his mom Lisa Rusk. “She’s been my rock.”
For Reifenschneider, this honor is something he will always cherish because his journey through has been steeped in character after being diagnosed with dermatomyositis (dur-muh-toe-my-uh-SY-tis), an uncommon inflammatory disease marked by muscle weakness. All athletic skills aside, he knows being a person of high character and ethics is something that will be part of his life forever, whether he plays another sport or not.
“My faith is who I am,” Reifenschneider said. “That means being of great character and morals, and that is more important to me than any award or any win.”
After being diagnosed his freshman year, Reifenschneider thought he was done playing football forever after showcasing immense skills in middle school.
But on his junior prom night of 2022, Garaway head football coach Jason Wallick approached him and encouraged him to give it one more try.
That was the first sign.
He listened and began working out to try to see if he could even condition for the game.
Along the way the avid golfer decided to sell a golf club online, and in doing so, he helped move his trajectory along to the next level.
“I sold this golf club on Facebook, and a pastor from Cleveland came down and bought it,” Reifenschneider said. “He picked it up, and he told me that the Lord was really telling him to pray for me for some reason.”
He could have let it slide or share his life’s challenges.
He chose the latter.
“He prayed for me three different times and even brought his wife once,” Reifenschneider said. “That was my second sign.”
Part of Reifenschneider’s dilemma with his disease is his muscles deteriorate quickly and take longer to recover.
That opened the door for sign No. 3.
Reifenschneider’s best friend Wyatt Wallick was already entrenched as an All-Ohio linebacker for the Pirates. Reifenschneider asked his friend if he would help him test the waters of weightlifting and training.
One week passed without issue, then another.
All signs were positive.
Wyatt’s my guy,” Reifenschneider said. “He inspired me and made it bearable.”
By week three he felt it was time to fully invest. He developed a special meal plan and stretching exercises, utilized both hot and cold tubs, and learned how to live healthier, leading him into football practice and what became a most memorable senior football season.
His head coach Jason Wallick didn’t mince words when it came to singing the praises of a young man he said was the epitome of the award, pointing to Reifenschneider’s character, faith and leadership as the embodiment of the honor.
“He’s a strong Christian kid who gives all the glory to God, and when he does, he truly means it,” Wallick said. “You don’t see that every day. He is so grateful and thankful for that faith and for everything that comes into his life. He’s very respectful of everyone and very respected by his teammates because he’s a kid who is always there to help others.”
He said his star defensive end also possesses a lighthearted, fun side, as well as a deep desire to work hard at whatever he sets his mind to doing.
“He’s exemplified great family values and a terrific work ethic,” Wallick said. “He’s responsible, he’s respectful and he’s someone who is a shining example of what a person should be.”
It was Wallick who informed Reifenschneider he had won the award during a Pirates basketball game, a sport at which the senior also excels.
Where Reifenschneider’s path takes him in the future, like everyone else, is unknown, but he knows God has a path for him and his faith will help walk him through whatever the future brings.
“I wouldn’t change a thing,” Reifenschneider said. “This is who I am. It’s molded me and given me a testimony I love sharing with others. If I can inspire one person, then it’s worth it.”