Cleveland is Ram Country, and for senior Jackson Byrd it’s home.

“It’s a hard working community, we come out here and put work in with everything we do, if it’s academics or athletics,” Byrd said.

The senior grew up in Cleveland

“His dad was the principal here and he always wanted to be the Cleveland quarterback and had his mind set on doing a lot of the things that he’s done,” head coach Scott Riley said.

Byrd is just the 11th player in NCHSAA history to pass for 10,000 career yards. He officially signed this month to play at East Tennessee State.

“I just always take my best step forward, I always give 110 percent in everything that I do,” Byrd said.

That includes the classroom, where he’s graduating early with a 4.0 GPA. He always does his best to be front and center, even if that means moving desks.

“After class, Jackson came up to me and asked if he could move to the front, and of course I laughed because I thought he was joking, most kids don’t want to sit in the very front, they want to get moved to the back,” Cleveland High School teacher Ashley Strickland said.

“He is the type of kid where you expect (him) to do great things in life, it’s not going to be a surprise, no matter what path he chooses,” Strickland added.

“Underneath that helmet is a really hard worker, and someone that has done everything the right way and taken no shortcuts to his success. The day-to-day process is big to him and he’s earned everything that he’s gotten,” Riley added.

And that’s why Jackson Byrd is this week’s winner of the Tom Suiter Extra Effort Award.