Flint Hill RB Jordan Houston is the recruitNoVA Private School Player of the Yearby Jim McGrath, recruitNoVA
For Flint Hill running back Jordan Houston, the 2017 season was about more than comeback
and redemption. For the all-NoVA Private School Player of the Year, it was a chance to prove once and for all that the high expectations cast upon him as a freshman were fulfilled and that his first college offer had not been a fluke offering.
Houston’s case is unique. Many high school players wait until their junior or senior year to receive a first offer from perhaps a Division III school, followed by a Two, and then maybe an FCS school. More often than not, the offers get better as time passes. However, the first school to reach out to Houston did so in his freshman year and sent their request from Pennsylvania. It wasn’t from Susquehanna or Gettysburg, or even Lehigh. No, in fact, the first team to express interest in the 5’9”, 155-pound back was none other than Penn State.
While the Nittany Lions offer put Houston on the map as a collegiate prospect, so did his ninth grade stats, which included over 1,600 rushing yards. He was well into gear through the first two games of his sophomore season, but his campaign was cut short suddenly in Week 3.
“I had two kids tackling me, and I fell in an awkward position,” recalled Houston. “Suddenly, I felt my leg crack, and I couldn’t get back up.”
The off-balance fall had broken his ankle and tibia, resulting in an injury that would keep him in a cast for 2½ months. Since the cast was removed with a game or two left in the season, Houston decided to practice on his newly healed leg.
The experiment was short. “I tried to practice and tweaked it again,” adding that “it was probably late spring or early summer before I was 100 percent again.”
In his absence, junior Mark Lewis emerged as a backfield force, gaining over 1,500 yards and leading the Huskies to the VISAA Division I playoffs and a 7-3 record.
Huskies coach Tom Verbanic was presented with an unusual situation as the team started practicing for the 2017 season. Should he find a way to utilize both Lewis and Houston at running back, or should he simply pick one back to carry the load?
Verbanic, who won two state championships with Westfield in 2004 and 2007, opted for the latter, putting Houston back in his featured position and moving Lewis to receiver. But Verbanic was faced with another dilemma, being that his quarterback was brand new, as Miles Thompson, another sophomore, had recently transferred from Woodberry Forest and was primed to become Flint Hill’s signal caller.
There was only one problem. To the Huskies offense, he was an unknown variable.
“I had never met him,” said Houston of Thompson. But he’s very smart with the ball and he knows the game. He’s a quick learner.”
Quickly, Houston could see the signs of a special team. “I knew before the season started that we weren’t going to lose, just based on how good we looked in the pre-season.”
He was correct. A 35-13 opening day win over Paul VI was followed by a four-game stretch that saw Flint Hill outscore Blue Ridge, Collegiate, St. Albans and Sidwell Friends by a 196-54 margin, as Houston ran for 896 yards and 12 touchdowns. After a 42-0 shutout over Bishop Ireton put Flint Hill at 6-0, the question turned not from whether the Huskies could return to the VISAA playoffs, but if they could go undefeated and beat last year’s champion, Collegiate, a second time.
The Huskies finished the regular season with easy wins over St. James, Potomac School and Maret to capture the MAC title, leaving only the elusive state independent school title as a challenge.
As the #1 seed, they hosted Benedictine, another recent two-time champion, in the semifinals. While the Cadets became the only team to hold Houston to under 100 yards rushing (10 for 93), he did score on the ground and added two long touchdown catches totaling 126 yards as the Huskies pulled away for a 35-21 win, setting up a rematch with Collegiate, who they had beat 41-28 in Week 3, as Houston rushed for a season-high 281 yards, with 107 more on receptions and four total touchdowns.
In the final, it was Houston’s four touchdowns, three on the ground and the fourth on a 75-yard passing play with Thompson that sparked the Huskies 33-21 win over Collegiate giving the Vienna school its first state title.
It was a great accomplishment for the team, nicknamed the “Dirty Thirty” because of its small team size. Flint Hill finished the season at 11-0 with 475 points (43.2 ppg), fueled largely by Houston’s 30 TD’s on the ground and through the air.
With 1,971 yards on 166 carries, and 11 catches for an unprecedented 38-yard average, Houston’s list of post-season accomplishments is growing. He was a first team Washington Post All-Met at running back, and second-team USA Today All-Virginia kick returner.
Houston has added seven more offers to his original, with Tennessee, Boston College, Michigan State and Virginia Tech adding their name to the suitor list. The Penn State offer still stands, and Houston was asked if he might change course on that offer now that the Nittany Lions have successfully recruited fellow Northern Virginian Ricky Slade of Hylton.
Bluntly, he replied, “No. I will train hard and work for my spot, regardless of where I go.” However, Ohio State and Michigan are on his own list of hopefuls, which could make for a most interesting recruiting chase if both schools become interested in Houston.
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