Columbus North’s Jackson Haston, right, and Anthony Portaluppi (33) and tackle Bloomington North’s Shaun Cooper Oct. 11 at Columbus North High School.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Jackson Haston already was a football player when his mother met Logan Haston when Jackson was in the fourth grade.
Since then, Jackson’s love for the game has only grown as Logan became his step-father and eventually, his head football coach at Columbus North.
As the oldest of Logan and Jennifer Haston’s four kids — and the only boy — Jackson has thrived in the sport that Logan has coached. He is in his second year as a starting safety for the Bull Dogs, who finished the regular season 8-1 and ranked No. 7 in the state.
“It’s been a blessing to have this opportunity,” Logan said. “I know a lot of dads would dream for a chance to coach their kid. It’s been so remarkable for us to have this experience together. I love all of our seniors, but there’s always going to be one that’s going to mean a little bit more to me. I’m very happy this season has been the way it has been.”
Columbus North head coach Logan Haston adjusts his headset during the annual rivalry football game against Columbus East Aug. 30 at Columbus North High School.
Logan was a quarterback at Avon High School and Manchester University and was on the coaching staff at Manchester when he met Jennifer and Jackson. Logan and Jennifer were married, and he became an assistant coach at Fishers and the family moved to Greenfield.
That provided a big challenge for the Hastons. While Logan was coaching at Fishers, Jackson was playing quarterback on the freshman team at Greenfield-Central.
Late in Jackson’s freshman year, the head coaching job opened at North, and Logan landed the job.
“I was just really excited and thankful because him being at a different high school, and me playing high school football as a freshman, it was really hard to be able to see him coach and also for him to come and see me,” Jackson said. “So I just thought I was really lucky and grateful to have a chance to experience football with him again.”
“I think his freshman year took a toll on our family quite a bit because I was coaching at Fishers, and he was playing at Greenfield, and not getting to see him play at all was not ideal,” Logan added. “So getting the opportunity to have a chance to play and coach together at the same school was kind of a dream-come-true for both of us.”
Jackson Haston
Jackson moved from offense to defense and played mostly junior varsity and saw some special teams action on North’s varsity as a sophomore.
“He’s a super-smart kid,” Logan said. “He has a very high football IQ, so that alone makes him an intriguing choice to be a QB. But I think he just has always had a knack for the football defensively. He reads things well and reacts, and he’s not afraid to come down and make tackles.”
Last year, Jackson won a starting job at safety, and in the second game of the season, returned an interception for a touchdown in a win at Columbus East.
“I had definitely been working to try to improve every day,” Jackson said. “Being able to get that pick-six showed that I had been working. I was ready for it.”
In the first round of the sectional, Jackson had another pick-six in a win against Jeffersonville. He also became one of the Bull Dogs’ punt returners and was a holder for extra points and field goals.
“I was really excited about it,” Jackson said. “Being my first year on a 6A varsity football team, I thought I had a pretty fair season. I was just really thankful that I had the opportunity to show my skills and get better at the game that I love.”
Columbus North’s Jackson Haston, right, and Koleton Sinnock (38) and tackle Bloomington North’s Shaun Cooper Oct. 11 at Columbus North High School.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
During the past offseason, Jackson grew from 5-foot-9, 150 pounds to 6-0, 165 pounds. He is one of North’s top tacklers on defense and has been returning punts and kickoffs.
“I like to get the football every once in awhile, especially when you get a chance to score,” Jackson said. “I love defense, but scoring is definitely a lot of fun too.”
Jackson did that last week when he had a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the regular-season finale at Terre Haute South.
“In the moment, when I got in the end zone, it was a lot of fun,” Jackson said. “But after, I was a little winded, a little tired, and I had to go hold (for the extra point) and then go back out there on defense. But I was super excited that I got to put some points on the board for our team.”
Logan said he has sought the advice of his assistant coaches when it comes to whether and where Jackson should be playing.
“It’s always been interesting with our relationship,” Logan said. “I’ve really leaned on our coaches. I never want to be the one that’s pulling the trigger on putting him out there, but I have a lot of trust in our coaching staff and they think very highly of his abilities, so they trust him to go in and get the job done and he’s done a fantastic job with it all season.”
That relationship, when carried over into their time away from the field, tends to be a little less focused on football.
“It’s a running joke in our house about, ‘Which hat is Logan wearing? Is it the dad hat or the coach’s hat?’” Logan said. “So I try to do a really good job of taking coach hat off once we leave here and put the dad hat on, and approaching it from that lens. I think it’s made it a unique challenge for our family, but also an exciting one to try to balance.”
Jackson, who also wrestles for the Bull Dogs, is planning to continue his football career at the college level. He has offers from Wabash and Hanover and has visited St. Francis and Mount St. Joseph.
His main focus for now, however, is preparing for Friday’s sectional semifinal game against Franklin Central, and if they win, a likely battle at longtime nemesis Center Grove in the sectional final.
“I’m just really thankful my senior year to play high school football, we’re having a memorable season, especially with all these guys surrounding me,” Jackson said. “Everyone’s doing their part. It’s a team effort. I’m just thankful for my teammates and the coaching staff.”
