Long before he was sprinting down the football field with the crowd roaring and the bright lights illuminating the stadium, Summit High School senior Jackson Archambault was living the island life.

Originally born in Delaware, Archambault and his family moved to St. Croix when he was 7.

From then until he turned 14, Archambault basked in the warm, tropical paradise of St. Croix while enjoying the tight-knit community on the 84.17-square-mile island. 

“I definitely knew everybody, but I loved it,” Archambault said. “I grew up there, and it gave a lot to me.”

While living in St. Croix, Archambault was subsequently introduced to football. Unbeknownst to him at the time, the sport would go on to shape the rest of his adolescent life. 

“I played flag football in the Virgin Islands, and I kind of did it because everyone did it,” Archambault said. “There were maybe 11 boys in my grade, so we played every sport.”

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Archambault enjoyed playing flag football in St. Croix, but it wasn’t until his family moved to Summit County when he was a freshman that he truly became hooked. 

On one of his first days at Summit High School, Archambault was encouraged to try out for the football team. Wanting to quickly make new friends, Archambault jumped at the opportunity. Eventually he was named to the varsity roster as a freshman.

“It took me a little bit to get into it, but I remember our first game. We lost,” Archambault said. “Still, I was really into it. I was a big soccer player before that, and then the next year rolled around and it was the choice between soccer and football. It wasn’t even a competition. I wanted to play football at that point.”

In an abbreviated freshman season with the Tigers in the fall of 2020, Archambault gained valuable experience, allowing him to shift his mindset going into his sophomore season. Archambault began putting hours of work into improving his game on the field by hitting the weight room, working on his speed and studying wide receiver routes in the offseason. 

Last speed training session of the summer! Ready for the season! @Coach_Lopez62 @BenLoPrimo @MyRecruits_ @CoachComes @CoachPerrone pic.twitter.com/VZxBt1baZc

— Jackson Archambault (@JacksonArchamb3) August 1, 2023

The tireless work paid off. He had a huge leap in skill level, which helped to contribute to Summit’s fall 2021 record of 7-3.

“I noticed how much of a jump I had made my sophomore year, and I really, really got into it that year,” Archambault said. “I started watching film and stuff like that. After that, I really became obsessed with it. It was anything I could do to get that edge.”

Archambault went on a tear over his final two seasons, helping lead the Tigers to the playoffs his junior season and contributing to Paul Lopez’s successful first season as head coach this past fall. 

Archambault’s final season as a Tiger was one to remember. A 6-foot-1-inch, dual-threat, explosive wide receiver, Archambault recorded 874 yards for 87.4 yards per game and 16 touchdowns throughout the course of Summit’s 4-6 season.

“I am always just going to remember my teammates,” Archambault said. “There are so many memories of bus rides, dinners, games — win or lose. I don’t even consider them my teammates — they are my brothers.”

Beyond his individual performance on the gridiron, Archambault also served as one of the leaders for the team after Jack Schierholz and Eli Krawczuk graduated from the 2022 roster.

My freshman year it was Cam Kalaf, my sophomore year it was Aidan Collins and then my junior year it was Jack Schierholz and Eli,” Archambault said. “I kind of felt like it was my turn.”

Due to his hard work and determination, Archambault’s dream to play college football eventually came to fruition. Recruiters from across the country took notice of him, but he ultimately decided on Western Colorado University in Gunnison. 

“I am super, super happy that I ended up at Western,” Archambault said. “They originally offered me a spot on the team over a camp in the summer. I went up there and played pretty well in the camp. I had a couple of smaller, (Division 1) schools reach out, but there wasn’t really anything that looked better than Western Colorado to me.”

Outside of being close to Summit County, Western stood out to Archambault because of its five-year masters degree program for business administration and the robust coaching staff on the sidelines.

“I love the coaching staff,” Archambault said. “Coach Bains has been there for 14 years, and that just speaks volumes to the quality of the program.”