A-K Valley football Q&A with Kiski Area’s Jason Baker

By: Greg Macafee
Wednesday, August 21, 2019 | 6:39 PM

In an effort to revamp his team, Kiski Area football coach Sam Albert dug into the depths of the high school to recruit student-athletes he believed could help improve their chances this season.

When he did, he came out with a large target for his new quarterback this season.

After not playing football since seventh grade, junior wide receiver/defensive back Jason Baker decided to join the team this season after dedicating most of his time to basketball.

The 6-foot-8, 170-pounder will give the Cavs’ new quarterback, whether it be freshman Lebryn Smith or sophomore Thomas Burke III, a big receiver to throw to in crucial situations.

From diving into the playbook to running through drills, Baker has been acclimating himself to life on the football field over the past few weeks. While he wasn’t used to the running aspect, he said it wasn’t too hard to get back into playing football.

How have the first few weeks of camp gone?

I think it’s been going good. I was able to get back in the groove pretty fast.

What do you think you can bring to this team?

I feel like I can bring a lot to this team. My size for one, and I’ve started to gain a little bit of weight so I feel like I can provide a good target.

What made you want to come back out for football?

Coach Albert has been talking to me about it a lot. And at first I just wanted to focus on basketball. But he had been talking to me for about two weeks about coming to play. So I just decided to come play. My friends were staying on me about it, too.

What’s been the toughest part about getting back into it?

Just the running, really. We run a lot more than basketball, so I have to get in a lot better shape.

Do you have any personal goals for yourself?

I want to catch 10 touchdowns, but I haven’t set a goal myself with yards yet.

What position do you play in basketball?

Forward/center.

Do you play AAU?

Yeah, I played for Top Level All-Stars.

What’s the most points/rebounds/blocks you’ve had in a game?

I’ve scored 25 points, I’ve had 8 rebounds, and like 5 blocks.

Do you have a favorite NBA team?

The Lakers.

What about a favorite player?

LeBron James.

What was your favorite thing you did this summer?

Just playing AAU. We went to Ohio, Kentucky and a couple other places throughout Pennsylvania.

How excited are you for school to start?

It came kinda quick, but I like school, so I’m OK with it.

Do you have a favorite subject?

Math.

Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Tags: Kiski Area