Former track and field rivals, Adoree’ Jackson and Dante Pettis could jump-start their teams

As high school long jumpers, Adoree’ Jackson and Dante Pettis were locked in an orbit, following the same path but never meeting.

Marty Dugard, who coached Pettis at JSerra High, remembered that Pettis and Jackson had a “unique relationship.” Both were among the best jumpers in the state, but there was a hierarchy.

“At the time, Adoree’ was the acknowledged best long jumper in California, and Dante was just trying to make a name for himself,” Dugard said. “Adoree’ just had a swagger about him that separated the two, because Dante’s so quiet.”

Each posted huge jumps, but Jackson’s were usually a little longer. And JSerra and Gardena Serra, where Jackson went to school, competed in different divisions. Dugard recalled seeing Jackson’s impressive displays at meets that both schools attended. Jackson couldn’t recall ever seeing Pettis.

“I probably did,” Jackson said. “But I probably just don’t remember.”

The two former CIF quasi-rivals will meet on a football field Saturday when Jackson and No. 20 USC travel to Seattle to take on Pettis and No. 4 Washington, and the presence of both will be hard to miss. Each has the potential to turn the evening into a track meet in the return game. Jackson is seventh nationally in both punt and kick return average. Pettis is 13th in punt returns, which he handles exclusively. Both have scored two touchdowns.

Pettis claimed a victory for Washington in the final minutes of a game against Utah two weeks ago. With the score tied, he fielded a punt near midfield, broke three tackles, made one move and galloped down the sideline for the decisive touchdown.

Jackson has earned acclaim for his return abilities. Most teams refuse to offer him a clean return, opting instead to sacrifice yardage in favor of cloud-scraping punts or low bouncers.

This week, Washington Coach Chris Petersen called Jackson “the best I’ve ever seen” in the return game.

Both players’ athletic history foretold such success. Both are polymaths who seemed to excel at whatever they tried. And both were elite sprinters and jumpers, even if they competed as a sideshow to football, their main pursuit.

But Jackson, an athletic savant not only in track and football but also in soccer and basketball, gained more renown.

Quietly, Pettis assembled a similarly successful high school athletic career, also playing four sports.

Pettis’ father, Gary, played 11 seasons in the major leagues. The younger Pettis played baseball his freshman season, and JSerra baseball Coach Brett Kay said he would have excelled had he stuck with it. But there are only so many hours in a day.

USC quarterback Sam Darnold remembered playing against Pettis in basketball — both lived in San Clemente — and said, “He was the athlete everyone was like, ‘OK, Dante is here.’”

The sport once was Pettis’ focus. He took off his sophomore season of football to concentrate on basketball. But he eventually returned to football his junior season. And he decided to pick up track that spring, attending workouts each day after lifting weights for football.

“He just kind of went from sport to sport saying, ‘I can help you,’” JSerra football Coach Jim Hartigan said.

And he almost always helped.

In a football game against Buena Park, he blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown. Later in the game, he returned another punt for a touchdown.

In track, “first time Dante came out to practice and tried long jump he went 24-6,” Dugard said. If official, and if the mark hasn’t grown in the retelling, it would’ve set the Orange County record. (Eventually, he did set the official record at 24 feet 7 inches. Jackson, meanwhile, won a state championship. His best high school mark was 25-5¼.)

“And I still don’t know if he really picked it up,” Gary Pettis said of his son’s long jumping career. “He only did it for two years. He was doing it on just athletic ability. I think if he had more training or more time, he could’ve been even better.”

There was once a remote chance that Pettis would join Jackson at USC. Because he skipped his sophomore season, Pettis was lightly recruited as a football player. UCLA had minimal contact with him, USC just about none. One exception was Boise State, where Pettis’ cousin, Austin, was perhaps the best receiver in school history.

Chris Petersen, Boise State’s coach at the time, then left for Washington and Pettis followed him there. USC officials had visited Petersen to speak about the Trojans’ then-vacant coaching position before Petersen left for Washington. Pettis said he realized this week for the first time that, had Petersen taken that job, Pettis might have ended up at USC too.

“I’m very grateful that I ended up here,” Pettis told reporters.

It has worked out for him. He has ignited as a junior, with 37 receptions for 574 yards and 11 touchdowns.

They are numbers good enough that even Jackson has taken note.

“I’ve seen a couple of his highlights,” Jackson. “Yeah, he is off the chain.”

Quick hits

USC Coach Clay Helton thinks his team will be mostly sound by Saturday. Defensive tackle Stevie Tu’ikolovatu (knee), cornerback Iman Marshall (hamstring), guard Damien Mama (knee) and running backs Justin Davis (ankle) and Aca’Cedric Ware (ankle) all are expected to play. … Defensive back Jonathan Lockett (hip) is not expected to play Saturday.

zach.helfand@latimes.com

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