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AHSAA Super 7 Alabama high school football championships set through 2028
AHSAA Super 7 Alabama high school football championships sites are set through 2028, alternating between Birmingham and Mobile. Birmingham will host 2025.
- Fayette County sophomore quarterback Jake Rickman was diagnosed with juvenile multiple sclerosis (MS) after experiencing dizziness, slurred speech, and declining performance.
- Despite initial fears, doctors assured Rickman he could continue playing sports with modifications and proper treatment.
- Rickman returned to basketball and baseball after his diagnosis, excelling in both sports.
- He is now preparing for his junior football season with precautions like a new helmet and a focus on hydration.
It was last fall when everything began to change for Jake Rickman.
The Fayette County sophomore was entering his second season at quarterback for the Tigers when he began to experience dizzy spells two weeks into the season. Not long after, doctors diagnosed him with vertigo.
“I kind of though that was odd for a young person to have vertigo,” said Jake’s father, Bill Rickman. “I never heard of that.”
Despite the diagnosis, Jake never missed a game. He received steroid treatment, throwing for six touchdowns and rushing for another in his next game after his vertigo diagnosis, a 57-8 win over South Lamar on Aug. 30.
But something still seemed off. As the season continued, Jake’s reactions felt slower. Coaches and family wondered if it was just a sophomore slump.
‘This ain’t Jake’
“He had great games,” coach Jared Porter said, “… and some games we were like, ‘This ain’t Jake.'”
It all came to a head during the week leading up to Fayette County’s unexpected playoff appearance.
Jake called his parents, father Bill and mother Mitzi, who were out of town. He was having slurred speech. He couldn’t call out plays at practice.
Jake’s speech issues cleared up by that Thursday and the next night he suited up in the Tigers’ Class 4A opening-round playoff game at West Morgan.
But it was clear something wasn’t right. Jake wasn’t playing like himself. His throws were 5 to 6 yards off target and he fumbled two snaps, something that hadn’t happened all year.
“It was not the Jake that we were used to,” Porter said.
Porter pulled him from the game. Jake insisted he was fine, but Porter wasn’t convinced. He didn’t start him in the second half and texted Bill at halftime, suspecting it might be a migraine – something Jake had experienced in the past – and urging him to get checked out.
So Bill did just that, taking Jake to Children’s of Alabama in Birmingham after the game. Mitzi met them there.
A diagnosis: ‘Can I play football?’
Roughly 20 hours and countless tests later, the Rickman’s had an answer: juvenile multiple sclerosis – a rare autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system, disrupting communication between the brain and body. It affects fewer than 5,000 children in the U.S. each year, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and there is no cure.
Jake’s first question to doctors after his diagnosis: “Can I play football?”
At 16 years old at the time, his mind immediately jumped to the worst. Not long before, he’d read the essay “On Being a Cripple” Nancy Mairs in English class. In it, Mairs wrote about her experience with MS, how it left her unable to walk or live independently.
“I was just thinking the absolute worst possible scenario of what was going to happen,” Jake said.
But doctors delivered good news. The disease had been caught early, and with proper treatment and monitoring, Jake could live a long, healthy life – and continue playing the sports he loves – just with some modifications.
“Our faith in God has really made this a little easier to swallow,” Bill said. “We don’t know what the future holds. but we know whatever it is we’re going to be fine, Jake’s going to be fine. God is going to write his story, not some disease.”
Jake’s return to sports
That playoff game was Fayette County’s last of the season. Jake finished his sophomore year having thrown for 1,160 yards and 12 touchdowns, adding two more scores on the ground.
Jake began treatment the weekend after his diagnosis, consisting of a six-hour infusion of Rituxan, a chemotherapy drug, every six months. He missed the first few games of basketball season but remained on the bench cheering his teammates on. He worked his way back into the starting lineup after Christmas.
At that point, his mother saw reason for optimism.
“Ok, he’s back. I think we’re going to be OK,” Mitzi said.
He played 16 games, averaging 6 points and 7 assists and leading the team in assists for the third straight year.
From the hardwood, he transitioned into baseball season. Jake started every game, rotating between shortstop, third base and pitcher. He posted a .323 batting average to co-lead the team with 31 hits and pitched 26 innings with a 4.03 ERA.
Now, Jake is gearing up for his junior football season. He is taking a few extra precautions, such as wearing new type of helmet – a Riddell Axium – the “best and safest” helmet Porter could find. Perhaps the biggest emphasis is making sure he remains hydrated, as getting overheated can cause his symptoms to flare up.
Jake is ready. And he’s determined to prove that his diagnosis doesn’t define him.
“I feel great. I am really excited,” Jake said. “We got a good team. … I’m really anticipating a good year.”
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