Rosemount's Jackson aims higher

Adam Jackson doesn't fret about the rose-colored gash on the right side of his face.

"You kind of get used to it," Jackson said with a grin.

Proud to "always be going forward," Jackson attacks his opponents on the wrestling mat like he does everything else in life: full speed ahead.

The straight-A student and future officer in the Air Force got a taste of the big time last year, finishing 38-3 at 152 pounds for Rosemount. All three losses, including the championship match in Class 3A, came at the hands of Apple Valley's Destin McCauley, the do-all phenom currently working out at the U.S. Training Center in Colorado with hopes of Olympic glory.

McCauley put a bow on his high school career last March by pinning Jackson in under a minute.

In the moments after, Jackson put his spot in the No. 2 slot on the podium in perspective. "Losing to maybe the best wrestler to come out of this state? Not bad," he said at the time.

With several months to reflect, his attitude isn't so cavalier.

Jackson worked on his offensive techniques in the offseason. His hope was to further enhance his style of always being on the attack. He participated in offseason camps. In October he was part of the nationwide Super 32 Challenge, a colossal two-day, two-building event in North Carolina featuring bouts on 29 mats.

"Wrestling guys there, talking to coaches there, was a great experience," Jackson said.

The event further affirmed Jackson's decision to wrestle in college, something that was stamped in his mind the moment he advanced to last season's final match.

He went to a leadership academy at West Point, but ultimately decided on Air Force. The Falcons' wrestling program is headed by Joel Sharratt, who was a two-time state champion for Bloomington Kennedy in 1989-90.

"Just something about the way that place felt seemed right," said Jackson, who planned to enter a service academy whether he wrestled for the program or not. "Once I went to Air Force and saw it, I immediately stopped all my other applications."

"He and a lot of other guys have done real well for us," Irish coach Brett Larson said. "Adam and Steve Levine [ranked No. 6 at 132] are right at the front, and with Adam, he's just so hard to score on. He's always in the match."

Jackson has stayed healthy, too, which is near the top of the list when it comes to creating a how-to guide for consistent wrestlers.

A little bit of scarring is hardly going to stand in his way.