Alex Chenevey is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Cactus Shadows for AZpreps365.com.

The Cactus Shadows football team is 4-2 and coming off an upset win over undefeated Skyline. One Falcons player was tasked with playing a foreign position to him during the game, safety. 

While he’s played several positions in the past, including cornerback, nickel back and running back, transitioning to safety is still a tall order for most. Not for Jaivon Swecker, who helped lead the Falcons to the win while also holding Skyline to a 35.7 percent completion rate.

For Swecker, being moved around the field is not a big deal. He’s played several positions during his high school career, and he’s enjoying playing on both sides of the ball.

“I got moved to safety earlier this game vs. Skyline. I’m still trying to practice that, getting ready for Gilbert,” said Swecker. “As for cornerback, if they need me to play it, I’ll still play it. And with running back, every time I get in there I try my hardest and do as good as I can.”

Swecker has been around football for most of his life. He started playing when he was 6-years old when his dad introduced him to the game. Swecker’s dad would have him run cone drills growing up. Swecker then made the move to tackle football when he was in sixth grade.

Swecker kept improving, and once he got to Cactus Shadows, he was ready to make a mark on the team. However, that would have to wait, as during Swecker’s freshman season, he ended up breaking his arm and would miss the rest of the season.

The injury did have a silver lining, though, as it would bring Swecker and a fellow freshman closer. “Funny story, the reason he was out all freshman year is because I broke his elbow in one game,” said senior defensive tackle Dillon Roberts.

While Roberts might have initially caused the injury, both were brought closer together and both are leading the Falcons' defense this season as seniors.

“I still love that kid (Dillon),'' Swecker said. "Yeah, he did it, but I forgave him right after he did it. I just kind of joke around with him now every time he starts to push and shove. I'd be like, ‘Watch out, bro, you broke my arm. I don’t want you to do it again.’ I just play around and joke with him.”

After recovering from the injury, Swecker made it to varsity as a sophomore, but wasn’t able to get a lot of playing time during both his sophomore and junior years. But when new head coach Chris Dixon came in, Swecker started to earn more reps on the team.

“This year, with Coach Dixon in, I’ve gotten way more playing time and I’m just trying to prove myself so someone can notice me,” said Swecker. “That’s my whole goal. I just want to keep playing. If anyone will take me, I’ll do it.”

Dixon recognizes Swecker's versatility as an advantage, as he can be moved around the field with ease.

“We’re not a really large school where our guys can go one way and we need guys to go both ways. It’s important to have a guy like him,” said Dixon. “He can understand and know the magnitude of everything. He’s one of the few guys we had coming back with varsity experience. That’s the other reason why he became one of the most important players on the team.”

Swecker’s ability to be moved around has helped him improve as a player and as a leader, especially on defense, where he has been thriving.

“I feel like if my energy is up, and I’m making plays and I’m trying to get the crowd excited and my sideline excited, then our team will start doing well,” said Swecker. “As the team got amped up against Skyline, we were making stops and we made them punt five times and we made them turn over the ball before they could actually score. I just want to be a leader and show them that we got to make stops and we got to make plays.”

If you ask anyone who’s been around Swecker, two things that stand out are his positive attitude and leadership, which have left a resounding impression on his fellow teammates and coaches.

“My favorite thing about him is his attitude,” said Roberts. “It’s always an upbeat attitude no matter what. He’ll get on you, but it’s a good thing because we need it a lot of the time. He’s just a leader.”

“He’s well-rounded, a hard worker, a leader. I’ve never seen him in a negative role, always seen him in a positive role,” said Dixon.

It’s safe to say Swecker has had to overcome his fair share of adversity, but one thing he learned over his high school career is how important a solid work ethic can be.

“After I broke my arm was when I realized I needed to start doing anything I can to get back on the field,” said Swecker. “That’s when I kind of enjoyed just going outside, running drills and cuts and practicing every day, and working out in the gym every day. That’s when my work ethic started to come in and I’ve just never stopped since then.”

While Swecker is nearing the end of his time with Cactus Shadows as a player, he hopes people will remember him for always working hard and never giving up.

“To be honest, that I just really worked hard for it, and that going up from eighth grade to high school I have been putting in a lot of work and never stopped working for my spots and it really caught up to me,” said Swecker. “I thank God every day for what’s going on and I get to play and I love the sport.”