As the crowd gathered on a mild October evening in Patton Springs, the Jayton Jaybirds knew what needed to be done. A win would keep their district record unblemished and set everything up for a huge matchup against Motley County.
Standing in their way were the Rangers, who fielded a resilient squad seeking to represent their home field with honor and pride. Jayton head coach Josh Stanaland and the Jaybirds refused to look too far ahead and focus on the task at hand.
Following the continued rushing attack of senior running back Pecos Smith, the Jayton Jaybirds soundly defeated the Patton Springs Rangers 52–7.
Smith, who earlier in the season struggled with nagging injuries, appeared to be at full strength as the regular season winds down. He dominated with his feet (165 for six touchdowns) and was also able to use him arm wielding a duel attack to keep the Rangers honest. Senior kicker Tripp Scott was effective with his PAT attempts to give Jayton a stronger edge.
On defense, sophomore Kaden Valerio recovered a fumble and amassed 12 tackles. Senior Devon Jones also recorded double-digit tackles.
The true story of the game was resiliency of the Rangers. Instead of rolling over to the Jaybirds, Patton Springs fought their hardest to keep the game from getting out of hand. Instead of allowing the Jaybirds to finish the game at halftime through the 45 rule, the Rangers scored a long touchdown to make the game more diffcult.
The Jaybirds now look to win the district championship against Motley County on Friday, November 6, at Jaybird Stadium. Motley County has been ranked at number 1 in the state by several media outlets and will pose as the greatest challenge to the Jaybirds in their season. Fans from both schools will visit in anticipation for a great matchup with playoff implications.
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