Football, Basketball, Lacrosse
Favorite athlete: Luka Doncic
Favorite team: 76ers
Favorite memory competing in sports: Beating Abington in basketball in triple overtime my junior year
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: Scoring a goal off of the goalie’s head
Music on playlist: A little bit of everything (hip hop, pop, country, alternative)
Future plans: Study business at Ursinus College and play lacrosse
Words to live by: “You control your own destiny.“
One goal before turning 30: Find a job that I enjoy doing and be successful at it
One thing people don’t know about me: I’ve always strung my own lacrosse sticks since I was younger
By GORDON GLANTZ
Jackson Intrieri is headed to Ursinus College to play lacrosse at the next level, but he will leave Wissahickon as a true rarity – a decorated three-sport athlete.
He always just took each season – football in the fall, basketball in the winter and lacrosse come spring – as it came, enjoying his teammates for who they were, right down to their type of music.
“The music I listen to kind of revolves around the sport I’m playing,” he said. “Lacrosse, you don’t hear as much rap or hip-hop. It’s more alternative or country. With basketball and football, it’s rap and hip-hop that gets you more hyped up for games. I really don’t have a preference. I’ll let the other guys play the music that they are feeling and I’ll just listen to it. Nothing really bothers me.”
Although he started playing basketball first, Intrieri’s initial success came on the gridiron.
“Over the years, when I was younger, I guess football was sort of my main sport,” he recalled. “It was what I was best at during that time, I enjoyed football and basketball, too. It was the same group of guys, and we just kind of stuck together through eighth grade. It was fun with them playing basketball, and a couple of those guys played lacrosse, too.”
As time passed, and teammates/classmates began to specialize, he just never had the heart to choose.
“I had a lot of friends in each sport, and there was never really a sport that I wanted to drop. There is a different dynamic in each sport, and I just always enjoyed being around all the guys.”
Aside from developing musical tastes ranging from rap/hip-hop to country to alternative, he was able to develop new friendships.
“I was able to see kids from different neighborhoods and different backgrounds, and I was able to just bond with them through sports,” said Intrieri. “It was always just a great time, no matter who I was with. I’m just grateful I was able to play three sports throughout the past four years.”
The Fourth Quarter
It is universally accepted for those who have lived it that nothing builds kinship more than football. At Wissahickon, Intrieri went from a winless season as a freshman through the steady incline to .500 this past fall.
That only enhanced the locker room bond.
Said Intrieri, who played several positions growing up before settling in at receiver and defensive back, where he preferred free safety: “We would always stress that we’re a family and a brotherhood. We were always there to support each other. That’s pretty much how it was from 9th through 12th grade. It was a good experience, overall, with all those guys.”
In the final analysis, after surveying the landscape, he was grateful for the truncated season of six games (the final game was canceled).
“It was crazy at first,” said Intrieri. “Schools like Norristown did not have any sports this fall, while Cheltenham is playing football in the spring. Some colleges, like Delaware, are also playing football in the spring.”
What Intrieri gleaned from it was a life lesson.
“You just have to live in the moment and take every practice as if it is your last,” he said. “With COVID, it only takes one case and your season is shut down. You can’t take any moments for granted. You just have to get out there and get to work.”
Hitting The Hardwood
Come basketball season, the Trojans just missed the playoffs but were able to play a 22-game season.
“It was kind of the same vibe,” said Intrieri. “Our athletic director did a really good job of scheduling games for us and making sure we could get in as many games as possible before the playoffs started.
“We still played a full season of 22 games, which was nice. I really wouldn’t trade that for anything. Some teams only played 12-14 games.”
His role was to “kind of do a little bit of everything” – taking outside shots, getting into the lane and dishing back out to teammates, rebounding and throwing outlet passes and his specialty of no-look passes.
Long-time coach Kyle Wilson also often asked him to cover the other team’s top scorer.
“Jackson is a mature hard worker, and an intense competitor,” said Willson. “His play this season earned him 2nd team all-league for basketball, and although we fell short of making playoffs, he helped guide his team to a winning season (12-10) playing 22 games in two months.”
Lacrosse Takes Over
While versions of lacrosse played by Native Americans date back to 1100 AD, and were documented across Canada by the 17th century, the more recent history in the Intrieri home is equally intriguing.
His older sister, Samantha, played at Wissahickon. When she was a senior, their father, Robert, took over as head coach and the team’s fortunes turned with it.
Intrieri said the team was 6-12 Samantha’s junior year, before his father took over and applied the principles he learned playing basketball for West Chester
Under Intrieri, the Trojans started out 8-0 and finished with 14 wins.
“It was pretty cool to see,” said Intrieri. “He has always been a pretty motivational type of guy, and he was always on the staff of my teams growing up. But, he was more of a basketball guy, and it was a lot of the same concepts that he used in basketball.”
Meanwhile, the younger of Robert and Nicole’s two kids started to really enjoy the sport more in middle school. It was spurred on by team and individual success.
“For my team, I was playing attack,” said Intrieri. “I was able to draw a double-team and dish it to my friends. Both years, we made it the championship. It was fun just scoring goals, and getting my teammates involved. Overall, it was just a really good time. I just really enjoyed it after that.
“Overall, it became the sport I was best at, so I just ran with it. I enjoy all three the same, but I feel like lacrosse was my best one overall.”
Despite an unassuming presence, Intrieri’s absence will be missed by coach Matt Conway.
“He's a fairly quiet kid so he leads more with his actions on the field than with his words off of it,” said Conway. “He has been our primary initiator in our attack unit since his freshman year, and was primed for a breakout season last spring if not for it being canceled.”
The Next Level
Intrieri had stopped playing club lacrosse but was brought back into the fold with the help of close friend Matt Fritz.
The reason was because he wanted to play in college, and the investment of time paid dividends, with 15-20 schools inquiring.
“Ursinus was pretty much in the loop the whole time,” said Intrieri. “They were one of the first schools to reach out.”
Being first is one thing, making a strong first impression, backed up by three positive visits to the Collegeville campus is another.
“(Coach Gary Mercadante) is just a really cool guy,” said Intrieri, who plans to major in business management and know he needs to add good pounds of muscle to his 6-2, 185-pound frame. “He brings a lot of energy. He’s a really upbeat guy. That’s something I want to be around. I’m really excited to get out there with those guys.
“It felt like home. It was the perfect fit for me.”
All Class
Playing three varsity sports, plus club lacrosse, did not leave much time for in-school activities.
However, Intrieri felt the need to pay it forward to the school’s other athletes with his involvement in the Wissahickon Fans Club.
“I would always try to go out and make an effort to support other teams during their games,” he explained. “Obviously, during football and basketball, all those kids are there to support me. I wanted to give that back the best that I could.
“I just try to carry that on as best as I can by supporting the other athletes and athletic teams in the school. Obviously, at the end of the day, we are all just supporting and representing Wissahickon.”
While he has been attending school virtually this year, Intrieri was able to readjust and maintain his grades.
“My mom has always been on top of me to do my work, and so has my dad,” he said. “The thing was, with sports, I basically had practice seven days a week. Right when school ends, I just try to get all my stuff done as fast as I can and as best as I can.
“It’s a two-way street. If you want to play sports, you have to have good grades. Playing three sports, it has always kept me in check.”
Those rare times with nothing to do? He admits they are not easy.
“It gets boring, pretty fast. I’m not going to lie,” said Intrieri, who spends free time stringing lacrosse sticks for himself and teammates. “Sometimes, when I’m just sitting around, it’s like, “I can’t imagine doing this all the time.’”
Reflections
When it comes to knowing to whom he owes a debt of gratitude, Intrieri doesn’t have to think too long.
It begins with family and continues with coaches and teammates.
“Without them, I wouldn’t be the person I am today, in terms of my attitude toward life,” said Intrieri. “I’d like to thank all my high school coaches for helping me out the last four years, and helping me become the athlete and person that I am today. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I wouldn’t have wanted to go to any other school. I love my coaches. I love my family. I love my friends. That’s pretty much it.”
As for the sports he will be leaving behind, he knows it is both bittersweet but necessary.
“Basketball was my first love, I guess,” he said. “I have playing that since Kindergarten. Football, too. I’m definitely going to miss both sports.
“I can never take that stuff for granted. It was just a great experience, being with all those guys for the past 10 years or so.”
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