NATCHEZ — Whether it is in the classroom, on the football field or any other competitive environment, Jackson Carpenter likes to up the ante.

Whether it’s taking seven classes as a senior at Cathedral High School, trying out to play quarterback for the first time ever before the season or training to compete in triathlons, Carpenter is constantly testing his limits.

“I like seeing what my body can do,” Carpenter said. “I like the challenge. That’s the reason I tried to play quarterback this year actually.”

Before the season, Cathedral prepared to fill the void at quarterback that a graduated Wyatt Boothe had left. Carpenter competed against Connor Mire and Andrew Beesley, who had a lot more experience at the position going in. But that didn’t matter to Carpenter. He still entered his name to the surprise of head coach Ron Rushing.

“I always try to be open, but I was scratching my head at first,” Rushing said. “I told him a week or two before the season started that I thought it would be an easy decision, but he worked so hard. He’s extremely focused and determined. He improved tremendously.”

Though Carpenter ended back at his starting receiver position, Rushing had no doubt Carpenter could learn the system as a quarterback in such a short amount of time.

“He’s one of those brilliant guys that understands everything,” Rushing said. “He’s a wide receiver that will tell the left guard what to do, you know?”

Football isn’t Carpenter’s only area of expertise. In the classroom, Carpenter has excelled with a 4.357 GPA to go along with his 32 ACT score.

Carpenter has already been accepted into the University of Alabama where he plans to get his business administration degree before hopefully building a business empire. That’s down the road for Carpenter. Right now, Carpenter is trying to juggle seven classes, including calculus and college algebra, which has proven to be another test of his endurance.

“A lot of my classmates see me as that guy that can look at it one time and know it well enough to pick it up,” Carpenter said. “I don’t spend a lot of time on one subject as I do spending a lot of time on many subjects. I might be the only senior taking seven classes. I don’t have study hall or get out at sixth period, so I definitely have a lot of things to juggle at night.”

When Carpenter isn’t studying or competing on the gridiron, he’s preparing for a triathlon. Like his father, Todd Carpenter, Jackson has taken to running marathons, but in order to push his body even further, he’s added swimming and bike riding into the mix.

“In April, I plan on racing in the half ironman in New Orleans,” Carpenter said. “It’s a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and a half marathon, so I’m trying to get myself in shape for that.”

Carpenter, who will more than likely be playing in his final home game Friday (barring a lower seed upset in the next round), is ready to contribute as a true team player Friday, pushing his body to the limit to ensure his team comes out the victor against Bowling Green in the opening round of the MAIS AAA playoffs. Rushing said if he had more players that gave the effort and had the knowledge of Carpenter, his team would be better for it.

“He’s the perfect team player,” Rushing said. “He leads by example and leads verbally. He’s that guy that’s always doing the right thing. That’s what you like to see. It’s the ultimate team sport. We try to get everybody touches, but he goes out there and blocks hard every play. He’s become a great blocker on the perimeter. He makes the team what it is by doing that.”