SEFFNER – Seffner Christian running back Karmi Mackey is someone that you should be paying attention to–now and into the future. The Class of 2017 running back has returned to action after missing two games for a lip injury and is on pace to rack up nearly 2,000 yard rushing and receiving for the Crusaders in their first season out of the Sunshine State Athletic Conference and in FHSAA district play. Seffner Christian is currently 4-3 with games left against Deltona’s Trinity Christian, Sarasota’s Out-of-Door Academy and then a season-ending contest with Calvary Christian.
Last season as a sophomore, Mackey (6-0/205) rushed for 503 yards and 11 touchdowns while catching 24 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown. Mackey was also credited with 194 yards in the return game and posted nine tackles and a sack for the Crusaders. This season, even with missing two of Seffner Christian’s biggest games against Admiral Farragut and Cambridge Christian, Mackey’s rushed for 1,320 yards on just 102 carries and has surpassed his 2014 TD mark with 12 this season. He’s also caught 10 passes for 103 yards and has 25 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Mackey’s even coming off a 353 yard-3TD rushing performance in Seffner Christian’s 63-48 win over Bradenton Christian last week.
So, who is Karmi Mackey though? He still has one more season to show the area what he’s all about. He’s obviously got the skills to attend whatever high school he wanted, but chose to be a Crusader. He also wants to build more than just stats, too. When you hear him describe what he might want to pursue outside of football, it might make perfect sense why he’s productive on the field. We caught up with the young man for a few minutes to give us his perspective on the season and why he feels at home at Seffner Christian. Here now is Karmi Mackey–in his own words.
BCP: Karmi, you’ve got the skills on the field and in the classroom to be wherever you want–but you chose to be at Seffner Christian and to be a part of their family. What’s it like to feel like you’re going to dominate when you step out there, and what’s it like to be a part of Crusader Family?
Karmi Mackey: “I just put it in my mind that it’s a competition, really. My mission is simple–to get into a good university and to play for a team. The coaches put it into my mind that it’s me against them. Seffner is a really good small school. I really fell in love with the people on campus. They really want you to succeed–especially on the academic side and sometimes they may even put sports last because they care about the character of the players first. That’s actually one of the main reasons I felt at home, here. Even though there are other schools out there that I’m sure are similar, I feel like I made one of the best choices I could have by coming to Seffner Christian. My coaches are always encouraging me and telling me that I can go anywhere I want to as long as I’m handling my business on the field and in the classroom. I’ve just go to put my mind to it and show it.”
BCP: What’s the plan beyond Seffner Christian? Is there something that interests you beyond the field?
Karmi Mackey: “I really am interested in either Engineering or Architecture. I’m really good with math, I’m passionate and pretty good at art, so I’d really like to take a long and hard look at that. At this point though, I’m just trying to dial some things in and working on building a life after football.”
BCP: Who are the influences on your game and how do you try to incorporate those influences?
Karmi Mackey: “I’ve been blessed to sit behind some older guys and been able to watch them and try to imitate what they do, and then I’ll go home and watch film of Herschel Walker or Marshawn Lynch–two of my favorite players–and then try to imitate what they’re doing. From there, I just try to work on my patience–which is the biggest key–along with vision.”