When Patrick Jackson Jr. was able to visit a Hahnville High School football practice over the past year, his teammates would immediately gather around him – the junior running back would smile and talk to them for a few minutes before inevitably telling them to “get back to work.”
That was the competitor in him. Jackson always loved football, and he loved his teammates. They loved him right back.
Jackson’s community at Hahnville and beyond is mourning his loss. He passed away on Aug. 12 after a more than year-long battle with cancer.
Jackson was working out in February of last year when he felt a sharp pain in his triceps. On May 6, 2025, he was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive bone cancer that primarily affects children and young adults. The exact cause of the illness is unknown.
Hahnville head football coach Greg Boyne said the news of Jackson’s passing was emotional at HHS.
“You’re never ready for that news. It was a gut punch,” said Boyne. “By the time we got most of our older kids (on the team) in the afternoon, they all knew. The biggest thing for us, as coaches, was just to be there for them … guys were emotional. We had lightning, so we were inside the film room … they kind of just turned around and talked, and I think they needed that. We (coaches) even kind of left the room and gave them a chance to talk. Just them being together, an extremely strong, tight-knit senior class, and Patrick was one of them. He’s missed.”
Boyne said Jackson always set a positive example for his teammates.
“He was a hardworking, humble kid. A quiet kid,” Boyne said. “But he was confident and he was smart … you could see how much the other kids really loved and respected him.”
Hahnville senior quarterback Landen Teague said Jackson was a true leader.
“He was one of the hardest workers on our team,” said Teague. “And he’s a guy where you could talk to him if you had anything going on, about anything at all. He was always joking around. And he really loved football.”
Jackson took his battle head on.
“It was in his character – nothing’s too big,” Teague said. “He’s going to fight it out, always.”
Even before his diagnosis, he was known for his strength and determination. It showed in how he played the sport he loved.
“He was a very physical kid,” said Boyne. “He had that chip on his shoulder … he wasn’t the biggest kid, and undersized high school kids have been told their whole life that they’re small. He played with a chip. But he was as strong as any kid in our program, even as a 10th grader. His numbers were out of this world in the weight room.”
He also knew the game, and knew it well. The son of former West St. John star running back Patrick Jackson, the younger Jackson followed in his father’s footsteps to play the running back position. Boyne said he was always quick to answer questions about plays, protections and situational adjustments. He had a strong understanding of the game and a desire to constantly improve. Boyne said that even as a young sophomore, Jackson was usually the first to watch film that was posted, and if it wasn’t posted by a certain time, he was quick to ask when it would be.
“He had this appetite and desire to get to a different level. It’s how he carried himself,” Boyne said.
Said Teague of Jackson’s competitiveness, “It’s always, he has to win. There’s no losing with him.”
He also wanted to raise his teammates along with him.
“He was never afraid to speak up or speak his mind,” Boyne said. “He had that strong work ethic and he was confident in his ability and probably even more in his knowledge of the game. He knew how things were supposed to be, so if he saw something, he’d tell Fabian (Celestine, Jackson’s fellow running back) something, he’d tell the offensive line something. He wasn’t shy about telling an older kid if he thought they were doing something wrong.”
Celestine and Jackson were very close. Both were coached by Jackson’s father growing up, and the two were friendly – but fierce – competitors for reps in the Hahnville backfield.
“He was an amazing person,” Celestine said. “He was smart. He was a really good friend … I’d call him and we’d just talk about life, football, all of the stuff we wanted to do in life.” 
This season, Celestine, the Tigers’ starting running back, plans to give up his No. 1 jersey to wear No. 23 – Jackson’s number – in his friend and teammate’s honor.
Celestine said he learned a lot from his friend and teammate.
“He taught me that there are times to play around, but then you get serious when it’s time to be serious,” Celestine said.
Boyne said as a player, Jackson responded to setbacks by working harder rather than complaining. When he desired more reps, he simply asked what he needed to do to earn them. If he fumbled, he’d put it behind him and get right back to work.
Hahnville senior wide receiver Aaron Williams said Jackson was like a big brother to him.
“He was always that same guy … he’s joking around, but you know he’s going to get his word done,” said Williams. “That was in the classroom, too.”
Williams said that whenever Jackson arrived at practice to support the team, it meant everything to he and his teammates.
“He was like family to us,” Williams said. “It meant a lot, because we knew what he was going through. Even when he was going to treatment, it showed us how blessed we were as a team to be able to do this. We’re holding ourselves to a high standard, because he was a high standard person.
“Even in the tough times, he always had a smile on his face. He brought positivity on and off the field.”
Jackson’s way of living, more than anything, is what Boyne believes is his legacy within the Tiger program.
“When something goes wrong, if you’re having a bad day, you ask ‘how would Patrick handle this?’” Boyne said. “You want to be like Patrick.”
