Bishop Ireton Senior is a Captain in Many Ways

Alexandria, Va. (WUSA)--He's only a shade above five-foot-seven but Bishop Ireton High School's Jacob Manley takes a workmanlike approach to his business in the trenches.

"The majority of the time I'm going up against guys who are much taller than me," says the senior offensive lineman.  "Being shorter you can get right under their pads." 

In other words, he's learned to adapt and overcome.  So it's no wonder when his coach went looking for leaders, his name kept coming up.

"His teammates were so resounding in their support for him to be a captain, I had to do a double take and that's when I started to learn about all he had on his plate," said Head Coach Tony Verducci.

What's on his plate is pretty substantial.  Manley is not only a 4.0 student and captain of a football team, he also helps captain his own family.

His father suffers from Diabetes and has had bouts of Post Traumatic Stress, thus the young man who handles the typical lineman responsibilities on the field has, at times, taken on several atypical responsibilities off it. 

"There  have been times when I'd have to stay up with him until almost 5:00 in the morning because he's having anxiety attacks," says Jacob.  

Complicating matters, his mom passed away as result of a heart condition when he was only six months old.

Sometimes when bad things happen, roles can reverse and the son can take the role of the father," says his father James.  

And while the elder Manley insists his son has never tried to take on the role of head of household, he recognizes how important his son has been to their home. 

"If it wasn't for him, I don't think I'd be doing as well as I am today," says his father.