Playmaker

Elgin's Jamal Cook has scored 13 touchdowns this season.
(Michael Smart/Courier News)

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Highlights have been scant for Elgin High football through the first seven weeks of the 2008 season.

But one of the bright spots for the Maroons has been the play-making abilities of senior wide receiver/linebacker Jamal Cook. The 5-foot-9, 173-pound speedster has scored 13 touchdowns -- most coming on dazzling displays of athleticism.

"He could be the most dangerous player in the (Upstate Eight Conference)," said Larkin coach Matt Gehrig, who will get an up-close look at Cook on Saturday during the Town Jug game at Memorial Field. "Any time he gets the ball in his hands he can get to the end zone."

Cook showed that in the season-opening game at Plainfield Central. He returned a fumble 99 yards for a score and took a kickoff back 97 yards for another TD.

"You try anything you can to get the ball in his hands because he's so explosive," said Maroons coach Dave Bierman. "He just makes a lot of things happen. He's the best athlete on the team because of his speed and strength."

Cook showed as a junior that he possessed big-play skills, averaging nearly 28 yards on 20 receptions, including eight for scores.

The flair for the dramatic has continued this season. Cook has made nine TD receptions, rushed for another and has tallied three more on returns. He has surpassed last season's receiving numbers. With two games remaining, Cook has caught 30 passes for 642 yards -- an average of 21.4 yards per reception.

"Jamal can score even when he doesn't have the ball," said Elgin quarterback Tom Roth. "Having a guy like that on your team only helps. His speed is unbelievable.

"We always ask what he eats because we'd like to try some too. The stuff he does is just crazy."

Like in a Week 4 loss to South Elgin. Cook ripped the ball out of a Storm player's hands and raced 80 yards for a TD. He finished the game with five receptions for 135 yards and scored twice.

"When I see nothing but green, that means go," said Cook, who plans on running track this spring for the first time. "I feel like when I get the ball in my hands I've got to get to the end zone."

He does so in amazing fashion. Eight of his scoring plays this season have covered 46 yards or more. Cook scored three times on pass plays totaling 107 yards in a Week 5 loss to Waubonsie Valley, accounting for all of his team's TDs.

Cook, an honorable mention All-Area selection last season, received some tutelage from a former Maroons standout last summer. Jordan Wells, a talented receiver for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, worked out with Cook several times during the offseason.

"Jamal is a hard worker and he's a physical specimen," said Wells. "He has a tremendous amount of talent and he does things that you just don't see at the high school level."

Cook hopes to continue that at the next level. Division III colleges have expressed some interest so far.

But two games remain in Cook's high school career and he hopes to make them count. First up is a meeting with crosstown rival Larkin. Cook will face off against his cousin, Royals senior linebacker Anthony Barracks.

"We've been talking smack pretty good," said Cook. "There's a pretty big feud going on."

With one win in seven tries this season, Elgin has struggled. But Cook says Bierman has kept things positive.

"This team has no regrets," Cook said. "We only move forward. Coach is big on us staying focused and taking care of business. And that's what we try to do."