NEWPORT — Against Sullivan East, Jefferson Cervellon accepted a pass near the goal.
With a defender practically glued to his left side, he took a couple quick steps and fired a shot into the back of the net.
That quick reaction summarized Cervellon’s timing and skillset, as those two aspects combined to earn him All-State honors from the Tennessee Sports Writers’ Association for the 2024 season.
He racked up 45 goals with 14 assists, becoming Cocke County’s first-ever All-State selection in boys’ soccer.
He was also named to the All-5 Star Preps team for this past season, helping to lead the Fighting Cocks to their first state tournament appearance in school history.
In the process, he accumulated a whopping 93 goals through the first two years of his high school career after coming close to the state record in his freshman season.
“A special young man with a great gift and a great family,” said former Cocke County coach James Groat, who coached Cervellon for two seasons before stepping down. “He is a pure scorer. 93 goals in two years should tell you how special he is.”
Plenty of those goals came from that quick-strike approach, as Cervellon has been known to rifle shots after just a couple touches, or maybe even just one.
“He has something that we call a striker brain,” summarized new CCHS coach Arodi Leon, who dug deeper into Cervellon’s skillset. “He positions himself well between the defender and the ball to create space and get a shot in really quick. That’s something really good strikers can do.
“When you’re that good, you have to remember everyone looks at film and you don’t have enough time to react. He thinks of stuff ahead of time and has a great first touch to set himself up for the best possible angle.”
Leon reiterated that Cervellon knows that setup is not simply his doing, as his teammates put the ball in perfect spots on several occasions.
“Having an individual player on your team that can do the stuff he can, it’s a huge advantage for us,” said Leon. “But he also recognizes he has people around him that make his job easier.”
And when he does get lined up, Cervellon’s angle does not always mean shooting with his right foot, as one would expect.
Rather, he can get a shot off with either foot, something Leon said is especially valuable.
“That is some strikers struggle with, being able to identify when to get rid of the ball with your left or right foot,” Leon said. “Obviously someone would choose their strong foot, but sometimes you don’t have enough time to set it up. So knowing when to make those decisions, he processes stuff pretty quick.”
That also meant knowing when to pass, something Cervellon did this past season with ample weapons in the Campos brothers, Hayato Sakai, Avery Craig and more.
“Sometimes you want to be the top scorer, but he takes and makes decisions for the team, making those passes and putting the team ahead of himself,” said Leon. “That benefits everybody and is really hard to find.”
Cervellon will look to do that again and score more this coming season, especially now that he will be an older presence as a rising junior for Cocke County.
And if his freshman and sophomore years are any indication, Leon knows he is in for a fun season with Cervellon as a focal point.
“He carried a lot of the bulk his freshman and sophomore year,” said Leon. “To be honest, you see professional players who are 16 that can handle that pressure and that capacity of thinking.
“I think he has that maturity on the pitch, and just expecting him to keep being a teammate and pass down knowledge to younger guys now that he’s older. His maturity level is coming up, and I’m excited to see what he does for us this season.”
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