By ETHAN THERRIEN
Courtesy of @RickShotThat on Instagram
Playing the role of a shutdown cornerback on a championship-winning high school football team requires exceptional instincts, discipline and a high level of athletic ability. Doing so while also being the starting point guard on the school’s varsity basketball team requires an even higher degree of those rare qualities.
Being a two-sport athlete isn’t new for DeMatha Catholic High School senior Jacob Wallace, who started playing both football and basketball when he was very young. But while most people who play multiple sports as a kid tend to focus on one sport as they grow older, Wallace was different.
“Growing up, when I was like 6 or 7, I just always been playing both sports. So I just always loved it. I loved the passion of it. Always pushed,” Wallace said.
That passion showed up in a big way on Nov. 24, when DeMatha won the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference football championship against Our Lady of Good Counsel High School by a final score of 16-7. As the team’s top cornerback, Wallace played a huge role in holding Good Counsel’s offense to only 7 points — by shadowing their top wide receiver all game.
“I thought he was absolutely outstanding,” said Bill McGregor, head coach of DeMatha’s football team. “I told [Jacob] after the game, ‘We gave you the most difficult assignment of anyone defensively.’ Good Counsel has a great wide receiver, No. 2, the [Damarion] Fowlkes kid. Wherever he went, Jacob went. And we knew we had to take [Fowlkes] out of the game.”
To McGregor, Wallace has a quiet but deadly demeanor. The long-time head coach describes his star cornerback as an introvert — but one that flips a switch when he steps onto the gridiron.
“He’s unassuming: very, very low-key,” said McGregor. “The whistle blows, and he goes from being a quiet, easy going guy, and it’s almost like he’s Superman. He puts on the cape, changes his clothes and comes out of the phone booth.”
Wallace’s ability to play cornerback at a high level runs in the family. His older brother, Josh Wallace, plays for the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams — and had a standout collegiate career at the University of Michigan in 2023, winning a national championship during his one year with the program.
“Growing up, we were always just playing sports,” Wallace said.. “[Josh] used to beat me all the time in the backyard, on the court. He called me like once a week, because he’d be busy. He’d call me and he’d just say ‘Keep working. Keep watching film. Keep pushing. You know you can do anything if you put your mind to it.’”
“It was definitely great to have somebody to look up to,” Wallace added. “You know, [Josh] was always pushing me when I was younger, because I used to cry when I worked out.”
With the championship win, Wallace’s football season is now over. But as the basketball season starts to ramp up, so does the physical toll on his body. For a lot of parents, watching their child play two contact sports at a high level would be a perpetual cause for concern. His mother, Sharlene Wallace, is no exception.
“As a mother, I always worry about if he is doing too much, getting the proper rest or eating the right foods,” said Sharlene. “After every game, I ask him, ‘How does your body feel?’”
For some time, her son’s answer to her question wasn’t ideal. At the start of his high school playing career, Wallace
Courtesy of @RickShotThat on Instagram
dealt with a lot of physical issues, from aches and pains to various strains — including a turf toe injury that had him questioning his two-sport lifestyle.
“At the end of my sophomore year, my body was starting to hurt a lot,” Wallace said. “I was really questioning, ‘Do I gotta pick one right now, or should I just finish my high school season out?’”
Wallace didn’t have to make that decision. As he got older, he started to recognize the importance of rest and recovery, which allowed him to adapt to the physical demands of being a two-sport athlete. Wendy Norris, DeMatha’s head athletic trainer, took note of Wallace’s changed mindset regarding recovery – and especially his discipline with extra treatments.
“That’s not every athlete,” Norris said. “He’s special. There are certain kids that have the discipline and the drive to take care of their bodies to be able to do all that, and he’s one of them.”
Wallace’s strong relationship with Norris and the training staff, which he calls “the best training staff in America,” has allowed him to properly acclimate his body to being able to play two long seasons of varsity sports.
Scrimmages for DeMatha’s basketball season began on Nov. 18. But for Wallace, school rules dictate that he will have to miss the first three weeks in order to rest and recover properly. Head basketball coach Mike Jones says that when Wallace returns to the starting lineup, there will be no physical restrictions for him — despite the heavy physical toll of a long football season beforehand.
“Once you cross over to basketball, we give you some time to get into your rhythm,” Jones said. “Once you end for like, two to three weeks, it should switch over, the muscles that you use for football translate to basketball — and then we’re just ready to go.”
The quick physical turnaround for Wallace has happened every year that Jones has been head basketball coach. “Jacob was always that guy who did all the little things at such a high level, so it was tough to keep him out,” Jones said.
Jones says that Wallace has come a long way as a basketball player since his sophomore year. The coach highlighted his progress on the defensive side of the ball, in particular.
“Jacob is one of those kids, that if he decides to play [college] basketball, he’s going to get minutes his first year, because he can defend at a high level,” Jones said. “If the coach can trust you to defend at a high level, then you’re gonna have that opportunity to show him that you can score.”
Football and basketball training schedules often conflict with one another. Wallace says that both of his head coaches are very understanding of his situation and realize the importance of open communication.
In fact, McGregor said that Wallace’s ability to simultaneously play two sports at a high level places him near the top of the list of athletes he has coached throughout his 35-year head coaching career.
“If you can play both football and basketball at DeMatha, you’re elite,” McGregor said. “The best athletes that I have ever coached were a combination of football and basketball.”
Wallace still prioritizes one thing above all: his academics. While his GPA hovered around a 2.8 a few years ago, Wallace has now worked that number all the way up to a 3.4, according to Jones.
“The number one thing right now is your grades,” Wallace said. “If you have no grades, you can’t go anywhere. You can’t play sports. So I just feel like if you take care of your books, you can do anything you want, play sports if you want.”
Playing two sports in college is less feasible than it is in high school. As Wallace leans towards committing to football, he is currently weighing multiple collegiate offers from schools like Central Michigan University, West Virginia University, Marshall University and the University of Akron. His mother’s main hope, regardless, is to see him continue to grow as the positive person and son that she raised.
“My hope is that Jacob continues to be a happy, healthy and kind person who follows his passion,” said Sharlene. “Most importantly, continue to put God first. I tell Jacob all the time, ‘What God has for you, is for you. Trust His timing. Trust His plan.’”
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Ethan Therrien is an undergraduate journalism student at the University of Maryland.