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Senior Spotlight: Jeff Lucken

At just 5-foot-11 and 225 pounds, Vandalia senior Jeff Lucken isn’t a typical football lineman.

But he doesn’t care.

The list of successful football players of Asian decent is short.

But he doesn’t care.

Some of the biggest rivals in the South Central Conference will bring offensive linemen with much more girth.

But, again, he doesn’t care.

And why should he?

As one of the strongest players on Vandalia’s football team, Lucken has combined his muscles with his a fierce attitude to create one of the most tenacious linemen in the SCC.

“Jeff is quick off of the ball, so he beats the offensive linemen,” said coach John Stout. “He’s always got good body mechanics, and his effort is relentless.”

Lucken has 13 tackles for loss this season, one shy of the mark he set last year, when led the Vandals.

And with eight tackles for loss in the past two games, the built-up momentum suggests that Lucken will set a new career-high this Friday when Vandalia hosts Hillsboro at 7 p.m.

“I hope (I get them), but it doesn’t matter whether I make those tackles or not, as long as I do my job and help my team win,” Lucken said.

He described his job as plugging gaps, playing blocks in a way to shed the offensive lineman and ensuring that all ball carriers are tackled.

And while the number of times he hasn’t done his job is “a few more than I wish,” there’s not a single Vandals player or coach who would trade him – his play and leadership being much too valuable to lose.

“He’s not the biggest guy, but he is one of the strongest guys on the team,” said senior teammate Alex Newsom. “He never quits, because he always wants to get a sack.”

That perspective has come from the countless nay-sayers who have questioned Lucken’s ability in the past.

Saying he is too small or too slow to be a standout defensive lineman, Lucken has made it a passion to make sure his fundamentals are sound and his energy-level is high to prove his doubters wrong.

“I carry a chip on my shoulder from everyone saying that I’m not big enough, strong enough or quick enough,” he said.

Those naysayers are likely to return once he gets on to a college team, too, as those who don’t understand his passion for the game will probably scoff at his size.

But Stout has little doubt that Lucken will put all that to the side and use it as further motivation.

“Jeff can do anything he puts his mind to,” he said. “He’s going to be undersized, but he can do the job, because he’s a good football player.”

MacMurray College has been pursuing Lucken the most so far, but he has also heard from Ripon College and Greenville College. Each school offers majors in physical education and criminal justice, the two fields that Lucken is debating.

He hopes to become a state police officer or coach at a high school, maybe even at Vandalia someday, following college.

If the latter happens, he will watch as others experience the thrills of high school football, and every time the opposing quarterback goes down, a smile will surely cross his face.

The Lucken File

The Leader-Union's rapid-fire Q&A with Jeff Lucken.

Position: DL/OL.
Number: 56.
Pre-game ritual: Listen to music
Parents: Tom and Chun.
Pro player: Steven Jackson.
Pro team: St. Louis Rams.
Favorite opponent: Greenville.
Food: Prime rib.
Music artist: Anything country.
Movie: Rocky.
TV show: Suits.
Dream job: NFL player.

Senior Jeff Lucken looks toward his teammates after recording a tackle for loss against Roxana earlier this season. He leads the Vandals with 13 tackles for loss through five games, which is one short of his career-high for a season.

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