CEDAR CITY — Senior football player Jaron Garrett of Cedar High School has been named this week’s Iron County Student Athlete of the Week by Cedar City News.
As the team’s quarterback, Garrett has helped guide the Reds to a 3-1 record so far this season, including back-to-back convincing road wins over the past two weeks.
Garrett threw six touchdown passes and ran for two more TDs in a 51-19 rout of the Taylorsville Warriors on Aug. 28. Garrett completed 19 of 25 passes for 389 yards and rushed for another 74 yards on eight carries. He followed this up Friday at Crimson Cliffs, helping power the Reds to a 37-7 region victory over the Mustangs, completing 15 of 25 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 55 yards and one TD.
Garrett is no stranger to putting up big numbers, having thrown for more than 3,100 yards last season as a junior, with 23 touchdown passes and four rushing TDs while gaining 551 yards on the ground.
He is quick to share the credit for the Reds’ success with his teammates on both sides of the ball.
“It all starts on the defensive end of the ball,” Garrett told Cedar City News. “They have created seven turnovers in the last two games and have given our offense great field position and great opportunities to score.”
He continued to say the team’s offense is starting to come together and “play as one group, which has really helped us move the ball and score a lot of points.”
Cedar head coach Josh Bennett cited Garrett’s leadership skills, both on and off the field. Noting that Garrett is actively involved in the Especially for Athletes organization, Bennett said Garrett “consistently strives to follow the standards of that program.”
Garrett said that Especially for Athletes is a program for athletes to show leadership in the school community.
“One of their major focuses is to stop bullying,” he said. “I try to always set a good example, whether I am in school or not.”
In addition to four years on the football roster at Cedar High, Garrett also has played one year of tennis and plans to return for his fourth year of basketball this winter. But the gridiron remains his favorite, he says.
“Football has always been my favorite sport growing up,” he said. “I’m so excited to finish my senior year and see what our team can do.”
Garrett, who is a straight-A student with a 4.0 GPA, said he plans to serve a two-year church mission after graduation, after which he intends to attend college at Southern Utah University and major in pre-med studies.
“As a student athlete, I have always put my grades first and set an example to my teammates about the importance of school work and education,” he said.
This is the second installment in a regular series of Cedar City News articles featuring noteworthy Iron County high school athletes, as nominated by their coaches through their school athletic directors.
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