Six-Man Team of the Week: Jayton Jaybirds
There’s a void at the top of 1A Division II this season after two-time defending champion Benjamin lost Grayson Rigdon to Columbus.
Jayton wasted no time staking its claim on why it should be one of the title favorites. The Jaybirds 45’d Westbrook 66-16 at the Jayton Gridiron Classic. It was an eye-opening scoreline considering Westbrook has been to the last three 1A Division I state title games.
But with Jayton coming off a state quarterfinal run last season, almost all of its players have played in those type of marquee matchups before.
“We are a very experienced football team, so we really hit the ground running on our first day of practice,” Jayton head coach Josh Stanaland said. “Westbrook is a great football team, but we came out and played a good, clean, complete game. We had a good plan and our guys did a great job executing and playing fast.”
Bode Ham went ham for the Jaybirds on the ground. He finished with 116 yards rushing and five touchdowns. Sean Stanaland showed the Jaybirds can take flight when needed too. He completed six of his seven passes for 149 yards and a score. Colt Gentry was a big part of that passing attack with four catches for 134 yards and a touchdown.
Jayton’s Colt Gentry takes it in@LemanSaunders @sixmanfb #txhsfb @Sixmanfan_Nate pic.twitter.com/DQ8yIccnKu
— Texas 1A Fan (@Texas1AFan) August 30, 2024
Sophomore Tucker Scott made his presence felt defensively with an interception and scoop-and-score. Seniors Griff Reel and Ayden Salazar led that unit with 10 tackles and eight tackles respectively. Both also had fumble recoveries.
After Thursday’s season opening triumph, Jayton’s road isn’t getting any easier. Next up is a visit from Klondike, which is coming off a state semifinal run in 2023.
