As the harvest moon rose over Roby, Texas, last Friday night, the Jayton Jaybirds looked to add to their winning ways against the Lions. Roby hosted Jayton on their Senior Night as they fielded a capacity crowd.
Head coach Josh Stanaland has spent the season training the Birds to prepare for every matchup, knowing that taking advantage of each opportunity provided for them to succeed will result in positive outcomes for his squad.
The Jayton Jaybirds followed by a fantastic, allaround performance in senior Tripp Scott, and a dominant running game through seniors Pecos Smith and Caleb Valerio blanked the Roby Lions 48–0. The win gives Jayton a 5–1 record in their season. Scott, who had 10 tackles defensively, also recorded the games lone interception at the end of the first half. In the kicking game, Scott converted three PAT attempts and kept Roby’s return game at bay with booming kickoffs that causes several touchbacks.
Defensively, Jayton held Roby to 71 total yards only allowing one first down. Late in the second half, Roby returned a kickoff all the way to the Jayton 6-yard line. In six-man football, the ability to hold a team on the goal line is incredibly difficult. The Jaybird defense, led by Smith, Devon Jones, Kaden Valerio, and Mason Long showed resiliency never allowing the Lions to gain a yard with the goal-line at their backs.
Offensively, Smith scored three rushing touchdowns on 18 carries for 214 yards. Caleb Valerio rushed for two touchdowns of his own, showing that the Jaybirds field a two headed monster in their backfield. Quarterback Nathaniel Williams connected with Smith on a 30-yard touchdown pass and Smith hit Long in the back of the end zone to round out the passing game for the Jaybirds.
Roby refused to give up and kept the Jaybirds from winning until early in the fourth quarter. Fans of both teams were proud of their school’s resolve and determination to succeed.
Jayton, who planned on playing Southland to begin their district season, was informed that the Rebels are unable to play due to Covid-19, causing their school to go virtual for the next two weeks. The Jaybirds will have an open schedule for their Varsity and will play the Throckmorton Greyhounds in an away matchup on October 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Fluidity has been the key this season for schools dealing with the threat of the pandemic. In spite of these issues, the Jayton Jaybirds continue to show gratitude for the opportunity to play football in October and beyond.
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