Madison three-sport star Jake Jackson is SBLive's San Diego Section Athlete of the Year

Welcome to a continuing tradition at SBLive California – honoring the male and female athletes of the year in every CIF Section.

Because the SBLive crew gets so immersed in specific sports seasons, it is nice to take a step back to pick a Section honor on a broader scale.

The criteria isn’t too expansive: The starting point is finding athletes who are all-league/all-state performers. Totality of career is also a factor as is winning. Administrator/coach/fan recommendation plays a role as well.

Enjoy as we honor some of California's top athletes!

19 touchdowns. 1,455 points. 110 hits.

Those were the totals posted by Jake Jackson during his dominant run while playing three sports at Madison High.

The six-foot-five wide receiver, small forward, and centerfielder opened his senior campaign by catching 28 passes for 477 yards and seven touchdowns for the Warhawks that finished the season at 9-2, losing to eventual champion Lincoln in the San Diego Section Open Division playoffs.

Moving to the hardwood, Jackson led the Warhawks in scoring for the third straight season. He averaged 22 points and nine rebounds per game while leading Madison to a 17-11 record and a berth in the San Diego Section Division 2 playoffs.

“It’s been very busy,” Jackson said of his schedule. “Managing it has been fairly easy because I’ve been doing since before even high school.”

Finishing off the year with his primary sport, Jackson hit .319 and had a .426 on-base percentage while grabbing Western League Player of the Year honors. He had seven doubles, three triples, a home run and showcased his speed with 17 stolen bases.

“I’ve had time to adjust my schedule and really fit everything into a day,” Jackson added. “Usually, basketball gets cut out of the everyday routine, but baseball has always been in it.”

Jackson committed to play baseball at San Diego State as a freshman and has since signed with the Aztecs but has impressed scouts over the last few seasons that has led to him rising on Major League Baseball draft boards.

With the MLB draft less than a week away, Jackson will have a decision to make whether he wants to continue his development while playing for the hometown Aztecs or embark on the professional route right away.

“It’s gonna be a fun decision,” Jackson said. “I’ve been going to Arizona and different places to go workout for different teams and meeting a lot of new people. Going to San Diego State is not a bad option and I’m not in a bad spot right now.”

Despite his early commitment to play baseball at San Diego State, his play on the football field earned Jackson scholarship offers from both Hawaii and New Mexico State.

“When I got the football offers it opened my eyes to multiple options but in the end, I decided that I want to play baseball at the highest level and college would be a good starting point,” Jackson said.

While Jackson’s days of playing competitively on the football field and basketball court appear to be over, it’s clear that the variety of sports have helped shape him into the athlete he is today.

“I think football definitely helps me with my toughness, footwork and speed,” Jackson said. “Basketball helps me athletically too but that was more conditioning my body, getting used to college or the pros whatever happens.”

“They’re two sports that I don’t regret playing at all. They helped me more than just playing a single sport.”

JAKE JACKSON BIO

School: Madison

Sports: Football, basketball, baseball

Next step: Signed to play baseball at San Diego State

Season highlights: 1st Team All-CIF San Diego Section football, 1st Team All-CIF San Diego Section baseball, Western League Baseball Player of the Year

Career accomplishments: 60 catches, 1,274 yards, 19 touchdowns; 1,455 points, 507 rebounds; .369 career batting average, 110 hits, 66 runs batted in, 29 doubles, six triples, seven home runs, 37 stolen bases