TIOGA – Jackson Tarver is one of those players known for outproducing his size.
That perhaps has never been more true than it was Friday night.
Tarver, a three-year starter at safety in Tioga’s secondary who is also the Indians’ starting running back this season, had a game most people only dream about to lead his team to a 52-21 win over Rapides Parish rival Pineville on Friday.
Known affectionately as “Jack Jack” by his head coach, most people call the 5-foot-9, 180-pounder “The Honey Badger” because of his playmaking proclivity that is similar to former LSU and New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu.
His entire arsenal was on display against the Rebels (0-2), as he rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, caught a 44-yard pass, made eight tackles with one for loss, and intercepted two passes, including a clutch pick-six that gave the Indians a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Tioga coach Dan Christman described his senior safety as a “big-time player in a little body.”
“He’s just a football player,” Christman said. “He plays on offense, defense. He’s everything for us.”
For the second straight week, Tioga (2-0) found itself facing some early adversity against Pineville, giving up touchdowns on the Rebels’ first two drives of the game and then losing a fumble deep in their own territory while trailing 14-7 late in the first quarter.
But as he has done at opportune times over the past three seasons, Tarver stepped up when the Indians needed him, making a leaping interception in the end zone to prevent the Rebels from taking a two-score lead.
Christman said Pineville unveiled “some nice little wrinkles” offensively that the Indians weren’t expecting, but his team was able to adjust and take control of the game.
“Coach (John) Muder and his defensive staff made some good adjustments, and then ‘Jack Jack’ got loose,” Christman said.
“All the hard work, dedication we put in during the offseason – it feels really good to show what we can really do,” Tarver said.
From the moment of Tarver’s first interception on, the game was all Indians as they reeled off 42 unanswered points over the next three quarters.
Tarver scored his first TD of the game with just under 4 minutes left in the first half as he weaved his way through the Rebel defense for a 7-yard score to tie the game at 14, and Tarver’s pick-6 just three plays later gave Tioga its first lead of the night at 21-14.
Spying the quarterback from his safety spot, Tarver made a great read on a slant route and jumped in front of the pass for an interception that he returned for a 28-yard touchdown.
“I see my guy go outside,” Tarver recalled. “I just immediately look to help, see where the quarterback’s going. I had to cut in and pick it off.”
With just seconds remaining in the first half, Tarver made perhaps his most electric play of the night, taking a 3rd-and-21 handoff up the middle, breaking a tackle, and outracing the Rebel defense for a 68-yard TD and a 28-14 lead.
Tarver makes his impact felt in all three phases of the game, in both large ways and small. In addition to making game-changing plays in the secondary and carrying the load in the Indians’ offensive backfield, Tarver also returns punts and serves as the holder on field goals and PATs.
While Christman would like to see the Indians get off to stronger starts, beginning with this week’s trip to Leesville, Tarver said he has been impressed with how his team has responded to early deficits.
“When we get down, it motivates us,” Tarver said. “We all have a little bit of ego. When we get down, we have to go back up and really show them who we are.”
Senior Jackson Tarver scores the first of his three touchdowns in Tioga’s 52-21 win over rival Pineville on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (Photo: Bret H. McCormick, One T Photography)
Tarver’s leadership is especially needed for a team which is breaking in a new starting quarterback in junior Ronnie Stevens and must replace the bulk of the production from last year’s team that went 9-3 and lost in the second round of the Division-I Select playoffs.
With a drop down to Division-II Select this season, the Indians believe they have a team that can compete, anchored by junior left tackle and Louisiana Tech target Naradda Roy and offensive playmakers like senior H-back Tarver Landry and junior receiver David Garrett along with defensive stalwarts like senior linebacker Bryson Faul and senior defensive end Wesley Sherman.
“Where we are in Week 3 from last year, we’re much better this year,” Tarver said. “We’re getting more development. We have some little kinks that we have to fix, and then we’ll be good.”
