Isaih Pacheco shook off two Michigan defenders and barreled into the end zone for an 80-yard touchdown, and his first thought wasn’t to spike the football or slip into a rehearsed celebratory dance.

Instead, Pacheco jogged to a corner of the end zone and scanned the Rutgers home crowd, searching for his mother’s face.

“I looked up and saw my mom and I blew her two kisses,’’ Pacheco recalled recently. “My dad after the game asked, ‘Who were you blowing kisses to?’ And my mom was like, ‘He was blowing kisses to me!’ And I said, ‘That’s crazy, ma, because I really was.’ She’s been through so much. I told her that touchdown was for her.’’

The touchdown, scored during his freshman season, was for a brother who nurtured his love for football as a young boy growing up in South Jersey. And it was for the sister who kept him humble, focused and motivated. Travoise Cannon was killed in January 2016, in Bridgeton; Celeste Cannon was murdered in September 2017 in Millville.

Pacheco is without his siblings. His mother has lost two of her babies.

"(My sister) was like a best friend,’’ Pacheco said. “My brother, if he was to see me here, he’d be shocked. He encouraged me to play football as a kid and he never got the opportunity to see me play here. Having an opportunity to play ball, it helps me a lot not worrying about the tragedies that happened. It makes me want to go harder.’’

Moments before Rutgers kicks off its season Friday night against UMass, Pacheco, who is expected to be one of Rutgers’ most dangerous offensive weapons in 2019, will sprint from the tunnel at SHI Stadium. When he reaches the end zone, he’ll drop to a knee and steady himself for the game. He’ll also use the moment to speak to his siblings the only way he now can.

“I’ll say a few prayers for my sister and my brother and a couple of people who passed in my life,’’ Pacheco said. “And then I just put everything on the line for my family in the stands.’’

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The youngest of Felicia Cannon’s five children, Pacheco’s first brush with tragedy came Jan. 10, 2016, when his brother, Travoise, was stabbed to death at his apartment complex in Bridgeton. He was 29. The man accused of the attack claimed self-defense, pleaded guilty to third-degree hindering/hiding evidence and was sentenced to three years’ probation.

“Since I was a youngster, [my brother] was always out there, watching out for me," Pacheco said. “I had an electric four-wheeler, and my brother first taught me how to ride. That was always something I liked to do as a hobby, riding four-wheelers and dirt bikes. He was my mom’s first baby."

After his brother’s death, Pacheco said he grew closer with his sister, Celeste. He remembers how she danced to rap music while baking brownies. She kept him humble as a heralded football recruit.

On Sept. 20, 2017, Celeste was found in her Millville home, dead from a gunshot wound to the head. A week later, police arrested Donald Scurry Jr., who was found guilty of murder in June and sentenced to 65 years in prison.

“I still think about my sister to this day,’’ Pacheco said. “I miss her a lot. It’s very hard.’’

She left behind three children, who also provide motivation each time he takes the field.

“My nephew, we’re trying to introduce him to football, and he was out here in the stands and that brought a light to me," Pacheco said. “But it’s sad thinking that my sister could be holding him right now."

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Nihym Anderson, a fellow Vineland High School product, has known Pacheco longer than anyone on the Rutgers football team. They consider each other brothers.

“I was there with him every step of the way, all the funerals," Anderson said. "I held him up and we cried together.’’

A redshirt freshman defensive end who transferred to Rutgers last fall because he wanted to team up with Pacheco, Anderson says his friend is a contradiction at times. Click on Pacheco’s Instagram feed and you’ll see his love for fashion. Watch a YouTube video and you’ll see him leading a wild dance in the Rutgers locker room.

But, Anderson said, Pacheco is “not really a show-emotions-type of guy.’’

“Every year I’ve played ball with him, so I know,’’ Anderson said. “On the field that’s where he lets it loose. That’s where it stays. It’s hard for him. People he looked up to, his brother and sister, it’s pretty tragic. [At Vineland High], we had a game the same day as his sister’s funeral. We had a funeral to go to in the morning and we played at 7.’’

Pacheco starred as the quarterback by rushing for 222 yards and throwing for a touchdown in a blowout win over Egg Harbor three days after his sister’s death.

“He was very resilient,’’ Vineland coach Dan Russo said. “He dedicated that game and the rest of that season to his family. I can’t say enough good things about him.

“When I took over the program, he was the guy that I had to get. Isaih was an eighth-grader and there were a bunch of (non-public) schools going after him. Our program was down a little bit and he decided to try to fix it. That was kind of his mindset going to Rutgers, too. We had Ohio State in to see him, Notre Dame coaches came to recruit him, but he wanted to help his home-state team. He’s an extremely loyal kid."

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That loyalty was on display this summer when Rutgers held a team-bonding retreat at the New Jersey State Police Training Academy in Sea Girt.

“Football is a sport that changes lives,’’ Rutgers coach Chris Ash said. “It provides opportunities for people to join a group of teammates that typically become like family. That’s what’s happened with Isaih and his teammates. He’s gone through some tough, tragic situations, and because of football, he’s been able to stay connected with people who care about him."

When players separated into their position groups at the retreat, Pacheco opened up on his three H’s — his hero, highlights and hardships growing up.

“It’s not easy for a player to open up and talk about some of the hardships he’s gone through,’’ Ash said. “But that’s something we are really trying to push with our players, to make our team closer by sharing some of your hardships and back stories. I’ll give Isaih credit because it’s a really difficult story to share but he feels close enough with his teammates that he’s able to do that.’’

Pacheco remembers it was Raheem Blackshear, his backfield mate, who lifted him up after the emotional speech.

“I talked for about 20 minutes about it, everything that happened with my brother and sister,’’ Pacheco said. “They were shocked. No one really knew because you don’t normally share your hardships like that. When I did that, Raheem came up and hugged me. He told me, ‘You’re my brother for life. Just know this year it’s time to go. We have to do something big to make your family happy.’ ‘’

Fire that cannon, @RFootball!@isaih_pacheco goes 80 yards to the crib, and this run is a #BTNStandout presented by @AutoOwnersIns: pic.twitter.com/2tWJzMuqkw — Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 10, 2018

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Pacheco arms are a tattoo mural that honor his brother and sister.

“I play football for them,’’ he said. “My family had a lot of ups and downs. When my brother first passed and then my sister passed a year later, it really hurt my mom deep inside. I’m the youngest one out of all my brothers and sisters and I kind of bring that smile to my mom’s face when I’m out here on this field just grinding away, taking care of my school work and showing what I have to do to get to that next level."

On Friday night, mother and son will unite in their pain, joy and love with blown kisses.

“When he scored that touchdown,’’ his father, Julio Pacheco, recalled, “his mom and I looked at each other and hugged. I knew those kisses were for her because of everything she’s been through. But that’s Isaih. He’s a strong kid. He’s a kid who has been through a lot. He’s been through a lot of hard times. He doesn’t show it. He tries to keep our family happy.’’

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Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KSargeantNJ. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.