As a large crowd gathered at Jaybird Stadium on Thursday, August 29 anticipation was in the air. A team that accomplished great feats last year, while returning most of their original starters and gaining more firepower, had the community hopeful to see how Jayton would look in their season opener. The Anton Bulldogs brought in a squad that retained key starters from last year’s nine-win team. Clouds rolled in at kickoff as the game began with the Bulldogs receiving the ball.
The Jayton defense was relentless against the Bulldog attack as their offense turned the ball over on downs. On the first offensive play from scrimmage, quarterback Aaron Hernandez drew in the Bulldog defenders and dumped the ball into the hands of running back Tye Scogin, who easily scampered into the end zone. Within a minute and 10 seconds, the Jaybirds were ahead by a touchdown.
Jayton would never look back as their defense barely allowed Anton to move the ball, and the offense would roll over the Bulldogs to win the game at halftime 48 to 0. Scogin was his usual self, with five rushing touchdowns to completely dominate the Bulldog defense.
It was clear that Scogin, while maintaining his quickness, was also able to gain extra strength through the off-season. On one play, Scogin was met behind the line of scrimmage by two defensive linemen. Instead of going down, Scogin turned what could have been a loss of yards into a three-yard gain by dragging the linemen behind him.
Senior Thomas Mullen scored a rushing touchdown and made several key blocks to propel Scogin forward on his touchdowns. Freshman Nathaniel Williams made his varsity debut at center, while mainstays Cameron Benavides, Evan Cheyne, Tripp Scott and several others held their ground. Scott, the kicker, made several of his extra points and caused several touchbacks on kickoffs.
The story of the 2nd quarter was the outstanding defensive plays. Hernandez caused three turnovers on three straight possessions. His first was an interception that he returned for a touchdown without being touched. He caused two fumbles that were recovered by the Jayton defense. Caleb Valerio and Pecos Smith made several big tackles to take away any possibility for Anton to move the ball.
The off-season was kind to the Jaybirds. Throughout the summer, the team was regularly present at summer workouts. These efforts, accompanied by a strong preseason, was noticed by the crowd, who were excited to see football season begin in the community.
The Jaybirds will now begin preparation for their matchup against the Aspermont Hornets at Jaybird Stadium on Friday, September 6 at 8 p.m. Last year, the Hornets easily handled Jayton at their stadium, so retribution will be in order for this Jayton team, looking to make a hot start for the season.
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