Nation Ford’s No. 2 receiver is pretty good, too

For Nation Ford senior wide receiver Jordan Helms, being second is something he is used to.

The second born to Jeff and Melissa Helms, Helms has been competing all his life with older brother and former Falcons’ quarterback Dalton Helms. That ongoing scenario pushed him to where he is today, one of the top returning pass-catchers in South Carolina high school football.

As the Nation Ford Falcons try to rebound from a 2-9 record last year, opposing defensive coordinators and secondaries know to hone in on the Falcons’ No. 1 receiver in Hank Tuipulotu. The 6-foot-2, 225-pounder has super glue hands and led the state in catches last season with 105. He committed to BYU earlier this summer.

Helms would be any other team’s top receiving target. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound slot/tight end caught 96 passes for over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns last season.

But for Helms, it’s not about numbers or accolades, or where he may fall in the Falcons’ lineup; it’s about working hard and having fun playing the game he has enjoyed since third grade.

“I just come out every Friday night and do the best I can to help my team,” Helms said. “I know (Tuipulotu) is doing the same thing. He doesn’t care about the numbers or the awards he gets, he just wants to win. That is how we all feel. I like the feeling you get coming out of the tunnel. Every Friday night you get to strap it up and play with your brothers. It’s a feeling you can’t describe.”

Helms could easily be on the defensive side of the ball, flattening people if he wanted to. However, he loves being on offense.

“Offense is fun,” he said. “I love playing offense. We got a great quarterback, a great offensive line, and great coaching staff calling plays. We are just confident in what we do.”

Last year, Nation Ford averaged roughly 35 points a game offensively and was a serious threat to score on nearly every possession. The Falcons will again count heavily on Helms this fall. Like Tuipulotu, Helms is a dependable outlet for senior quarterback Cole Martin.

“I have been playing with Jordan since I was 8 or 9-years-old,” said Martin, who threw for exactly 4,000 yards last season. “He has never been the fastest or had the best hands, but he is the most competitive person on the field every time we play.”

Growing up, Helms has always been a competitor, pushing himself against older brother Dalton, who now is a quarterback at Campbell.

“We are always competitive,” the younger Helms said. “We could be playing checkers at the house and we will be competitive. That is just how he is and that is how I am.”

Whether it’s being pushed by an older brother or a teammate, Helms said the competition fuels him.

“We all push each other,” he said. “In practice we push each other to get better. We want each other to do better and everybody to have a good season this year.”

Helms is so competitive and works at his task so diligently, that coach Michael Allen said he has to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t overdo it. A prime example of Helms’ competitive fire was last year when he played the majority of last season with a separated shoulder.

“You have to watch him,” Allen said. “He won’t tell you when he is hurt. He doesn’t want to come off the field. He is a non-selfish player who wants to give you his best 100 percent of the time.”

Allen said it isn’t just Friday nights when Helms excels, but when no one is taking notice. During the sultry dog-days of summer with the temperature reaching triple digits during 7-on-7 camps or when they are running the same routes in practice for what seems like the 20th time, that is when Helms’ leadership and tenacity comes to the fore.

“What he brings to the table on a daily basis is his effort at practice,” Allen said. “His effort at practice is evident on Friday night and his consistency to come and compete at 1,000 percent. I don’t know that I have had a player like that. That he is going to be money on every Friday night, whether he is hurt or at 100 percent he is going to compete.”

And although Helms maybe listed as the No. 2 receiver on the team next to Tuipulotu, he isn’t being overlooked by colleges. He has already caught the eye of North Greenville University, a place he potentially could be leaning towards going next fall. Helms said he is looking to play at the next level and thinks about coaching one day.

“I love the game,” he said. “I don’t know if I could ever give it up.”

This story was originally published August 11, 2015 at 3:04 PM with the headline "Nation Ford’s No. 2 receiver is pretty good, too."