Jackson Flottmeyer had career year but is already thinking about next season and hopefully another Aquinas state championship
LA CROSSE, Wis. (BVM) — Only two days after winning the WIAA Division 5 high school football state championship, Aquinas junior quarterback Jackson Flottmeyer was already back in the weight room.
“We’ve already gotten back to work,” Flottmeyer said.
Flottmeyer and the Blugolds are working to build off their tremendous season that ended in a 28-26 win over Mayvile in the championship. It was their first state championship since 2007 but they aren’t satisfied.
“One’s pretty good but two would be great,” Flottmeyer said.
For the 6-foot-5, 210–pound Flottmeyer, it would be a fitting end to a high school career that has played an important role in Blugolds’ resurgence in football. Whether it was this year helping the team win a state title or his freshman year when he came off the bench to help Aquinas win its first playoff game in seven years, Flottmeyer has been a part of it all.
“That really set the tone for what I wanted to do in high school, which was win a state championship,” Flottmeyer said about that playoff win his freshman year.
From there Flottmeyer began to work even harder during the offseason to learn the ins-and-outs of the position he has been playing for years. He had first learned to throw a football when he was 3 years old and as a third grader, he had been the only one on his football team to raise a hand when the coach asked the boys who could throw a football.
“Ever since then I’ve been a quarterback,” Flottmeyer said.
However, it was his sophomore year that he turned a page. As the starting quarterback for Aquinas, Flottmeyer threw for 801 yards, 12 touchdowns and just four interceptions as the Blugolds went 5-3 in a COVID shortened season.
Flottmeyer continued to build a strong relationship with his offensive coordinator, Steve Kramer, and set himself up for the season he just had.
“My sophomore season he (Kramer) said, ‘You’re going to have some fun this season,’’ Flottmeyer said. “Then when I was going into my junior year he said, ‘Jackson you’re going to have a lot of fun this year.’”
Fun almost seems like an understatement as Flottmeyer led one of the best offenses in the entire state. He threw for 2,879 passing yards, 35 touchdowns and just four interceptions on 70.9% completion while helping the Blugolds go undefeated.
And as the season went on, his rapport with Kramer only grew stronger and got to the point where Kramer would give him a say in what the Blugolds ran. Giving Flottmeyer two plays and allowing him to choose which one he liked best based on what he saw on the field.
“This year our trust built a lot and it will be very good next year,” Flottmeyer said.
The trust not only in Flottmeyer, but the entire offense and their ability to execute was on full display from the start of the state championship match till the end.
Even with the strong wind that was blowing through Camp Randall during the state championship, the Blugolds were going to play the way they had all season and throw the ball. Starting with a trick play on Aquinas’ first play of the game.
“Kramer had the idea and then Coach Lee said, ‘Yeah let’s do it,’ and then Coach Kramer asked for my opinion and I was like, ‘Yeah let’s do it,’” Flottmeyer said.
Jack Christenson made a great play on the ball for a 37-yard gain and the Blugolds never looked back. The Blugolds won 28-26 and Flottmeyer went 16-for-24 for 282 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
“It’s still a pretty surreal feeling,” Flottmeyer said. “I mean walking into school everyday, I get to see the trophy so I think that’s pretty cool and knowing that my brothers and I earned that feels pretty awesome.”
But the job isn’t done yet. Flottmeyer knows that this next year will be the best year and there is a lot to motivate him as he prepares for it. Along with trying to attract the interest of college programs, Flottmeyer also wants to continue to help the Blugolds create a championship culture.
However, there is a new motivation. Following their championship, the whole team went to the elementary school that is affiliated with Aquinas where the kids greeted them with signs and applause. During their time there, Coach Lee asked the kids who their favorite football player of all time was and after one kid said it was senior Joe Penchi, another said it was Flottmeyer.
“That’s probably the coolest thing I’ve ever heard, having a little kid look up to you,” Flottmeyer said. “Now that you know kids look up to you, you can’t mess up, you have to be smart.”
