Beach magazine Dec 2017

At 6:10 that evening, he put the word out that the Beach Cities Youth Flag
Football League season was on.
“I had to do something not just to help my son, JJ3, and the other kids
in our neighborhood on our team, but for all of the kids in the beach cities,”
said Jack Sr. who became first president of the new league. “It was a wild
ride and helped change the culture of youth sports in our community, so I
am very proud of stepping up to start the BCS.”
BCS players, Jack Alexander among them, also helped change the trajectory
of Redondo Union High football. Alexander recently finished his
senior season at Redondo, after leading the Sea Hawks to the CIF-Southern
Section Division 4 playoffs.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound signal caller was a dual threat for Redondo, possessing
a strong arm and quick feet.
In 11 games, he averaged 196.2 yards passing per game, throwing for
2,138 yards and 18 touchdowns, with only six interceptions. He also ran
the ball 110 times for 724 yards (6.5 average) and nine touchdowns.
Alexander finished his prep career wearing the same No. 7 he wore since
he began playing football at the age of seven.
Alexander did not play quarterback until his first year of tackle football,
when he joined the Redondo Pop Warner team as an 8th grader.
Though originally slated to play wide receiver, he made an impression
on coach Tom Coate who told Jack’s father after the team’s first practice
he would need his own football because he was the new quarterback.
“It was during that season that I really fell in love with the game,” Alexander
said. “I knew I wanted a career in football and someday become a
coach. The passion and intensity in tackle football is extreme. You only
play 10 games a season. There is no other sport like it.”
Coate, the current head coach at Chadwick in Palos Verdes, saw something
special in Alexander.
“He was tall, athletic, and had a fierce competitive spirit,” Coate recalled.
“Once I saw Jack throw a football, I thought he was the ideal fit for a great
quarterback. He had an incredibly high football I.Q., was very coachable,
and was a leader. I knew then that he was not only going to be our quarterback,
I knew Jack was going to be a great quarterback for all his future
teams.
“What makes Jack special is that he is a humble and hungry warrior.
Jack always gives his best effort, is competitive and makes others around
him better – a leader in every sense. One of my greatest memories is coaching
this wonderful young man.”
In only his second year playing tackle football, Alexander was named
MVP of Redondo’s freshman team after throwing for 2,500 yards and 24
touchdowns with only one interception.
But Alexander wanted more. As a member of a devout Catholic family,
he had attended St. James Elementary School in Torrance and decided to
transfer to St. John Bosco as a sophomore.
“I wanted an opportunity to play with the best,” Alexander said. “Bosco
had recently won a national championship (2013). I carpooled with some
guys in the area. It was a year of learning and game experience against
high-quality opponents.”
But the carpool to the Bellflower campus was falling through and the
long, grueling days of getting up early and arriving home late took its toll.
Alexander decided to return to Redondo.
“I have no regrets about the decision,” Alexander said. “It was nothing
but football and academics. I wanted to fully enjoy the high school experience
and I really missed my friends. The Redondo community is great
and the school’s football program is strong with a lot of history.”
Alexander began his junior season as the Sea Hawks starting quarterback
and led the team to a share of the Bay League title. The team reached the
second round of the CIF-SS Division 4 playoffs, losing a heartbreaker to
top-seeded Sierra Canyon 41-34 in triple overtime.
Yet it was the season opener that Alexander considers the most memorable
moment of his career.
“It was my first varsity start and we beat a very good Rancho Verde team
28-22 in double overtime,” Alexander said. “It was among the top five
games I’ve played. I was anxious and nervous. It was breathtaking to take
the field as the starting quarterback for the first time. It’s those kind of
emotions that make football such a special game.”
Alexander led a late drive to tie the score then connected with Julian
Woodard on a 25-yard screen pass to win the game. It was one of only two
games Rancho Verde lost that season
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December 7, 2017 • Easy Reader / Beach magazine 29