Jaybirds defeat Cougars in triple-overtime game for the ages

Week 1 may have been

the official Gridiron Classic in Jayton, but the true classic occurred in week 2.

The Klondike Cougars came to town to compete in a triple overtime contest with more big plays than one article can cover. During regulation the Jaybirds would lean heavily on their running backs Jaydon Rivera and Ayden Salazar, who accounted for 227 yards and 5 touchdowns in this backand- forth contest of two teams nearly equal in the stat books.

But the real excitement started with two and a half minutes left in the ballgame.

Jayton, having been down by as much as 15 points, was now down by 7 at their 25-yard line. A couple of runs and then a 26-yard strike from Sean Stanaland to Caleb Beck took the Jaybirds to the Klondike 18-yard line. Four more runs, and with 24 seconds left Rivera crossed the goal line on a 4-yard run to bring the score within 1.

It was the extra point where things got really interesting. As Jayton lined up for the 2-point kick, the snap sailed high, and kicker Justin Collins was forced to scramble. He threw a desperation ball high into the endzone, where Beck high-pointed the ball and made a spectacular catch for the ever-important one point to tie the game.

Salazar (19 tackles, 1 interception) became a one-man defensive wrecking crew in overtime with tackle after tackle to keep the Cougars from ever scoring again. Coach Josh Stanaland would later say, “I can’t think of a better defensive performance from a tenth grader in my life. He took the game over.” And after two overtimes the score remained tied at 42.

Overtime saw each team try and fail from their own 25-yard line twice, then UIL rules took over again. For the 3rd overtime, each team gets one chance from the 7-yard line. The Jaybirds went first, and Stanaland found Beck in the back corner of the endzone for the Jayton score.

Klondike responded with a quarterback scramble where Jayce Rivera stopped the would-be touchdown at the 6-inch mark, preserving the Jaybird win 48-42.

After the game an excited Stanaland could only praise the grit and determination of his players. “First, how much fun! Fifteen years; never coached an overtime game… proud of our kids for the way they fought. We’re sore and we’re hurting and Klondike is stinking good. Our kids battled from behind, made big plays when they needed to…We’ve got the best kids there are.”