Jeremiah Smith had a lot to prove this year, to many people.

He had to prove to himself that he belonged on a varsity field, after not playing any meaningful minutes as a junior. He had to prove to his coaches at Oswego East how much he wanted it.

Smith, though, was also driven by something much deeper and personal. It was the memory of his dad, who died last year.

Smith’s closest coach, his dad always pushed him to the next level. He told him what he had to do to become a better football player.

“I felt I had something in me, pushing myself,” Smith said. “I was more focused on my craft. I had to prove something. I had to better myself.”

Smith threw himself into his work in the gym. He put on more muscle but slimmed down, dropping from 345 pounds as a junior to 315 on a 6-foot-3 fra

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