Natick grads Jackson and Siden reunite at URI
After a 4-8 finish last fall, the University of Rhode Island football program is determined to turn around its fortunes. The Rams are counting on a number of newcomers.
One is a transfer from Tulane University in New Orleans. Another played for Dean College in Franklin.
And both were teammates at Natick High.
Andrew Siden is a powerful 6-foot-4, 235-pound tight end from Natick’s class of 2011, while Robbie Jackson is a 6-foot-2-inch burner at wide receiver who graduated in 2010. They may be new faces at URI, but the pair has already made an impression on coach Joe Trainer.
“Both of these guys are difference makers who will have an immediate impact on the program,’’ said Trainer, 9-24 in his first three seasons leading the Rams.
Jackson missed parts of two seasons with injuries at Natick High.
In his junior year, he broke his wrist and was forced to miss a showdown against Walpole. The Rebels won, knocking Natick out of the playoffs. He also missed the Thanksgiving Day game against Framingham, “which we lost,’’ he recalled.
As a senior, Jackson missed consecutive games with an abdominal strain before returning for a crucial game against Needham.
Still, Natick head coach Mark Mortarelli calls Jackson “the best two-way player I’ve coached.’’
“When we were on defense, wherever we thought the ball was going, that’s where we put Robbie. In a game against Norwood, he returned an interception for a touchdown, and returned a kickoff and punt for touchdowns. He must have had 300 yards in returns.
“After the game their special teams coach said, ‘I can’t believe I kept kicking to that kid,’ ’’ Mortarelli recalled. Jackson also caught a TD pass that day.
When healthy, Jackson was one of the most electrifying players in the Bay State Conference. He showed that at Dean College, too, although it took him an extra year after he underwent shoulder surgery in 2010, forcing him to miss the season.
“That was tough, watching my teammates going out there without me,’’ he said. “I just had to keep my head up. That’s what everybody told me.’’
Last fall, he exploded, catching 27 passes for 604 yards and seven touchdowns. Dean lost its opener before ripping off eight straight wins, including a 26-25 thriller over Glendale Community College of Arizona in the Valley of the Sun Bowl, in which Jackson delivered six catches for 73 yards and a touchdown. He said last season provided “memories that will last a long time. We had a lot to prove, coming off a losing season.’’
Siden was redshirted as a freshman last fall at Tulane, and was not happy with a role that kept changing.
“I went there as a defensive end, and they switched me to tight end,’’ he said. “Then a new staff came in, and they moved me back to defensive end.’’ Tulane “wasn’t the right fit for me,’’ he decided.
Once Siden received his release from Tulane, “Rhode Island was the first to get back to me,’’ he said. “I was excited about that. It was closer to home. If Rhode Island didn’t work out, I’d look again at the schools that recruited me’’ — New Hampshire, Maine, University of Massachusetts Amherst. “I’d already committed verbally to UMass.’’
Watching the Tulane games from the sideline last fall was an education. “It opened my eyes to how good you had to be to play Division 1,’’ he said.
Rhode Island, a Football Championship Subdivision program heading to the Northeast Conference in 2013, will play its final season in the Colonial Athletic Association this fall.
Sizing up Siden, Trainer said, “He has the toughness of an in-line tight end, but he’s athletic enough to extend out and do things on the perimeter against defensive backs.’’
Trainer’s message is simple: Work hard and you will get on the field.
“I liked hearing that,’’ said Siden, who followed a workout and running program this summer sent by the URI coaching staff.
Mortarelli recalled Siden making “highlight-reel’’ receptions. “He was the best tight end around,’’ said the coach. “He had soft hands. He’d make one-hand catches in the end zone. He had two touchdown catches his junior year against Walpole to win the league title. When we played Weymouth they couldn’t cover him. That was freshman Troy Flutie’s first game at quarterback. Andrew was a safety net for Troy.’’
At Rhode Island, “we’re working with three tight ends and they’ve got me at H-back, too,’’ said Siden. He keeps tabs on how New England Patriots receivers Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez go about their business.
Jackson received his first offer from Savannah State in Georgia, but did not visit the school. Duquesne and Central Connecticut showed interest before Rhode Island entered the picture.
On the night before signing day, Jackson received a call from Middle Tennessee State with a scholarship offer. “I didn’t get much sleep that night,’’ he said. But things were moving swiftly and smoothly with Rhode Island. “I didn’t want to delay the process,’’ said Jackson.
He also had his mother, Julie Lemar, in mind. “She’s not a good traveler, so it’s nice that she can make it to the games.’’
Jackson feels Rhode Island had a good a recruiting class that has bonded. “The team has a positive attitude,’’ he said. “It’s a close group of guys.’’
Two of the incoming recruits, cornerback Donovan Walker and middle linebacker Doug Johnson, were teammates at Dean.
“I can tell everybody’s fired up,’’ added Siden.
Trainer said, “Robbie is a tremendous athlete with great skills and a tremendous desire to be successful.’’ Jackson knows balancing academics at a higher level of football is “going to be difficult. But I got a taste of it at Dean.’’
The season kicks off Sept. 8 at Monmouth University in New Jersey.
A pair of Natick High grads can’t wait.
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