It's taken a committee to replace Jayton's seniors from last season, but the bunch is playing well alongside the 'big three' veterans.
It's hard for Jayton football coach Josh Stanaland to quantify what losing Griff Reel and Ayden Salazar meant.
The only seniors on the 2024 state championship team were longtime contributors and two-way starters. Stanaland felt he had up-and-comers ready to fill their shoes, but he didn't quite know what the Jaybirds would look like without the duo.
The transition has been smooth.
It's taken more than two players to make up for the absence of Reel and Salazar, but the new starters have helped keep Jayton on the same path to AT&T Stadium. The Jaybirds will go for their second consecutive undefeated campaign when they face Richland Springs in the Class 1A Division II title game Dec. 17.
"(Reel and Salazar) are great leaders and great players," Stanaland said. "Any time that those guys graduate, it creates a void. We knew that we could replace their production, and we've had a lot of guys step up. We're really fortunate to have an older group. Most of the guys that we put on the field for most of the time are juniors and seniors."
Jayton's "big three" — Colt Gentry, Bode Ham and Sean Stanaland — garner the most attention, and with good reason. Gentry was the defensive MVP and Stanaland the offensive MVP of last year's 54-8 thrashing of Oakwood in the state championship. Ham has 102 career rushing touchdowns and is drawing college football offers.
But coach Stanaland has been pleased with the development of the team's four juniors. Lorenzo Vargas scored three TDs in the Jaybirds' 64-19 semifinal win over Klondike last week. Dayton Bleiker, a returning starter at tight end, also caught a TD pass and helped wreak havoc from the defensive line. Josh Stanaland said Tucker Scott, who has nine TD receptions, had his best game of the season at safety against the Cougars. Scott was also 8 of 8 on two-point kicks.
And although his play has been limited because of matchups, nose guard Garrison Allen has been a force for Jayton's run defense, coach Stanaland said.
"The development of all of those guys throughout the summer and in the fall, just getting bigger and faster and stronger and becoming more confident in the stuff that they can do on the field has been huge," Josh Stanaland said. "(It's) a different team, for sure, but, man, it's been a lot of fun coaching these guys. It's always fun to watch kids step into new roles and play big when you need them to."
Coach Stanaland added the freshmen and sophomores have been key to preparation. The Jaybirds JV went 8-1, and those underclassmen are now posing as Richland Springs on the scout team.
Jayton got a chance to watch the real Coyotes in Richland Springs' 66-20 semifinal win over Strawn. Coach Stanaland said their final opponent is fast and aggressive with "not many weaknesses." Spread back Cohen Ethridge leads the way. Stanaland compared Ethridge to Benjamin spread back Keegan Hayes, who helped the Mustangs scored 62 on Jayton in the region final.
Coach Stanaland said the film showed what needed to be corrected for the Jaybirds' defense. They responded with a smothering effort in the semifinals.
It's become a familiar sight with Jayton. The team has won 29 games in a row, all but two via the 45-point mercy rule. Since 2023, the Jaybirds are 41-1.
The big three have been a big part of that. Those seniors are part of seven on the roster — five who are healthy enough to suit up — who hope to cement their legacy as one of Jayton's all-time great classes.
But don't expect the Jaybirds to fall into oblivion once they're gone, either.
"We're not dumb. We know it's foolish to expect it to always be like this," Josh Stanaland said. "But what those guys have done is they've been great leaders, and they've raised the standard. We've got a bunch of guys in the program, and that are gonna come through the program in the not-too-distant future, that have been watching them and have seen the way that they work and the way that they do things.
"I promise you, it's gonna pay off in the long run. It's gonna keep us very, very competitive at a high level for a really long time."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Jayton football heads into state championship against Richland Springs
Category: General Sports
