In their first away contest
of the season, the Jayton Jaybirds defeated the Petersburg Buffalos 75 to 26. While the score appeared to be lopsided in Jay-ton’s favor, spectators saw a different game. The Buffalos used a physical rushing attack to force the Jaybirds to dig in deep and work together to keep their season perfect. With that being said, familiar faces coming back from injury gave both communities the impression that Jayton, when at full strength, is a tough team to beat.
Seniors Tye Scogin and Aaron Hernandez returned from their two-week injury hiatus to provide the Jaybirds a boost on both sides of the ball. Scogin led all rushers with 151 yards on the ground and 5 total touchdowns (3 rushing, 1 receiving and a fumble recovery return). Hernandez passed for 106 yards and three touchdowns, while also running in a score of his own. Junior Tripp Scott returned from being inured last week to score on a reception touchdown and convert 8 of 9 field goal attempts. Junior Pecos Smith rounded out the scoring with a reception of his own from Hernandez.
On defense, five Jaybirds recorded double-digit tackles. Senior Thomas Mullen led the way with 18 tackles, followed by Scogin (13), Hernandez (12), Smith (10) and Cameron Benavides (10). Smith added an interception that was returned for a touchdown to go along with Scogin’s recovery. With such a plethora of depth on both sides of the ball with athletes Nathaniel Williams, Caleb Valerio and Evan Cheyne, the ‘Birds have been able to see what happens when their entire team is playing together while healthy.
With one touchdown in the fourth quarter, the ‘Birds put the Buffalos away under the 45-point rule. Jayton now looks to their home matchup against the Rotan Yellowhammers in what has been called the “Battle of the Birds.” With only half an hour drive between the two communities, this non-district rivalry will be sure to get spectators excited. The game will be played on October 4 at 8 p.m.
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