Jake Dunfee loves being in the center of the action.
But that’s not why he made the move.
Dunfee is a senior on the Northeast High School football team, and last year he was a starting guard on the team that won the Public League 6A championship and guided the Vikings to a stellar season before falling victim to eventual state champs St. Joe’s Prep in the District 12 championship game.
Dunfee had a good year, helping the Vikings run the ball down the throats of their opponents all year, but he wanted to do something different for his senior year. He still wanted to be a grunt, but he wanted to move over a spot.
“Honestly, I asked to move because I’m a little small for a guard, but I’m a perfect size for a center in college,” said Dunfee, a 6-foot-2, 295-pound Mayfair resident. “I pride myself on being a good athlete and in that position, you can do a lot of pulling, which we do. We do a lot of running and the linemen are running around. Center does a lot of that. And I think it gives me a chance to show everyone what I can do. I think it will help me for college.
“I think I help the team, too. I wanted to do it to help everyone. I think it’s worked out. Our line is very good, we’re doing pretty well. The offense has been good.”
On Saturday, it was its usual self as Northeast ran roughshod over Olney 41-0 in the Public League 6A championship. It wrapped up a perfect season in Public League play for Northeast. The Vikings earned the big trophy because they bested Imhotep Charter during the regular season, thus earning bragging rights for being the best in the Public League.
And while the Vikings are proud to represent their league, which was the fourth year in a row they earned that right, their big game is on deck.
Northeast has proven to be the best in the Public League over the years, representing the league in the District 12 championship game in each of the last three seasons. On Saturday, it will be the fourth year in a row. And while making it this far is a huge accomplishment, the fun begins on Saturday when the Vikings host St. Joe’s Prep once again in the District 12 championship game.
It won’t be easy.
Anyone who follows high school football knows the Hawks are an elite team. They have two losses on the year, but that was against top teams in the country. On Saturday, they ran over La Salle 52-7 in a game that was in the running clock by the time the third quarter started.
There’s no doubt about it, St. Joe’s Prep is a great team. But the Vikings are out to show the world that they are, too.
“They’re the best team around, everyone knows it,” Dunfee said. “But I’ll put my guys up against anyone. I really think we have the best athletes around. We’re a very good team. We’ve played great teams, too, and we’ve done pretty well. I think we’re going to go out there and show everyone how good we are. But we know they’re good, too.”
If the Vikings do lose, it won’t be from lack of preparation.
That’s something Northeast started doing since the calendar turned to 2019. Roughly a month after the Vikings ended their season by besting Central on Thanksgiving, attention turned to 2019. And while they weren’t just getting ready for the Hawks, they certainly had Prep on the mind every time they went in the weight room.
“We started lifting in January, Coach (Deion) Barnes is our strength and conditioning coach, and we were all out there,” said Dunfee, who also throws the shot put, discus and javelin for the Northeast track team. “I was there every day, but I’m talking we were all there every day. We all wanted to get to be the best, and lifting is how you do that.
“We went hard, too. Prep is a great team. We’ve been doing everything we can to get ready for them. We practice for them. We watch film. I love football, I’m always doing things to get better in football. And we’ve really worked on being a disciplined football team. We want to do the little things. That’s what makes teams great. We love the chance to play Prep because they’re the best.”
Dunfee is entirely focused on his next game, but he also has hopes of continuing his football career beyond Northeast. After the season, he plans on talking with his coaches and family to find the perfect fit for him. Ideally, he’ll remain a center.
“I either want to do business or criminal justice,” said Dunfee, who has a 3.0 grade point average in advanced placement and magnet courses. “Business, who doesn’t want to make money? And I like criminal justice because in my family I have people who are involved in law and work with police. It’s a good career.”
Either job would suit him, just like a District 12 championship and a chance to play for a state championship would.
“We’re going to be ready,” Dunfee said. “I can’t wait to play them. This was what the whole year was for. Our team works so hard. We really want this. I know a lot of teams want it, but we worked so hard. I really hope the hard work pays off.”
