OVIEDO, Fla. — Most eighth-graders are getting ready for high school or deciding who won the "beef" between rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar, but Master’s Academy quarterback Jackson Stecher was leading his team on the football field.

During the playoffs last season, Stecher proved he has what it takes to become a top quarterback in Florida.

“Practice how you play” — that’s the motto for Stecher.

And throws that set him apart are his 50-yard passes that look like a hand-off.

“I’m just a regular kid," Stecher said. "I don’t think of myself higher than anybody. Just try to keep myself humble.”

This season marks his second leading the Eagles, and he’s only a freshman.

“He is the gold standard of what we talk about," Master's coach Garrett Kruczek said. "Just being able to do everything at a high level. He throws it as good as anybody in the (class of) 2025. He’s objectively the top in the 2028 class.”

So far this season, Stecher already looks like one of the best quarterbacks in the state. Through six games, he has thrown for almost 1,400 yards, has 21 total touchdowns and had only two interceptions while completing 73% of his passes.

If his numbers don’t prove it, the accomplishments do.

Stecher is already a state champion. He won that last season against Westminster Academy in the Class 6A championship game of the Sunshine State Athletic Association.

“I haven’t seen it, an eighth grader leading his team, going 4-0," Kruczek said. "Just gaining the trust and playing a high level of football, smart football.”

“I’m just happy Coach Kruz had the confidence to put me in and win a state championship for us,” Stecher said.

Kruczek and Stecher are close, and they built a trust between each other.

Their bond was tested during the beginning of last season, when Stecher wasn’t the starter.

“I hated it. I love playing," Stecher said. "It was not my favorite. I’m just going to say I wanted to play. I knew that if I did get my chance, I would get this team winning.”

Kruczek said Stecher has a major chip on his shoulder.

"I wanted to feed that chip," Kruczek said. "We wanted to get him adjusted to the speed of the game. After all, he was only in middle school.”

The ball and the game are in Stecher’s hands now, and he’s the unquestioned leader of the Eagles.

“I can’t put a limit on what Jackson Stecher is," Kruczek said. "One thing I can guarantee you is the way he’s playing now, his cognitive awareness and his physical ability, I can’t imagine what it’s going to look like his senior year.”

Stecher said he wants to leave Master's with five state championships.

"I never want to lose,” he said.