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FARMINGTON — "Ready and willing for any challenge."
Those were the first words out of Farmington head coach Daniel Coats' mouth when he described senior Jake Metcalfe.
Play wide receiver and cornerback? Sure. Transfer to a new school for your senior year? Yes. Put the team on your back with a double-digit deficit? Why not.
Metcalfe's do-it-all mentality was on full display Friday night against Bountiful. The Syracuse transfer caught two touchdown passes and returned an 81-yard pick six in an effort to bring his new team back from a 20-0 first-half deficit.
Bountiful was able to hold off the Phoenix, however, and Farmington now sits at 0-2 on the young season. It presents yet another challenge for Metcalfe in an already accomplished career.
"He has been preparing for this season since he was a freshman," his father Justin Metcalfe said. "He has started varsity ever since the first game of his freshman season when he was 14 years old."
After three years as a starter at Syracuse, Jake decided to transfer to Farmington to play for his older brother Ty Metcalfe, an Idaho State football alum and current coach at Farmington. Justin said the new teammates and coaches at Farmington have turned into some of Jake's best friends in just a few short months.
"Jake is a player that will do anything and everything for his teammates," Coats said. "He is the guy that will make the game-winning block, touchdown, interception or tackle. Doesn't matter what it is, he will put it on the line for his teammates."
Metcalfe is the fifth of seven children, and his father said his son is "constantly pushing himself to get better and compete with all his siblings." Justin Metcalfe said his son strives to succeed in all aspects of his life, including with faith, family and football.
It was a bold move to leave Syracuse, which is seen as the favorite in Region 1 after starting the year off 2-0. Jake Metcalfe isn't just competing with his siblings or teammates anymore, but with a stacked region that also includes Davis and a 6A classification that is stronger than ever with the addition of the Lehi Pioneers.
"I love our coaches and what they have built at Farmington," Jake Metcalfe said. "I love our unity and the feeling of being a family. I really feel that as soon as everything comes together, we can do something great. We have the QB, the players and the coaches to do something special."
Speaking of 6A powerhouses, the next three games for the Phoenix are an absolute gauntlet as they welcome the top two teams in the state, Skyridge and Corner Canyon, followed by the return of the Syracuse Titans on Sept. 15 for a matchup against Metcalfe's former team.
If there was ever a time to be up for a challenge, this is it.
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