Friday night the Jayton Jaybirds, coached by Josh Stanaland, will host the Valley Patriots, coached by John Stanaland. The identical last name’s no coincidence.
Jayton is a Division 2, Six-Man, 1A team for smaller six-man schools and Valley is a Division 1, Six-Man, 1A team for larger sixman schools. In 2021 both teams have at least one, sometimes more, statewide polls that show both in the Top 10 in the state.
Last year The Texas Spur interviewed both coaches for a similar showdown, and then the game was cancelled due to Covid-19. We are re-running their interviews now that the game is on.
Enjoy!
“Football was a big deal for me and my family,” said John Stanaland, younger of the two. “Football is life in Jayton (where I grew up). I was a football manager all through my elementary years at Jayton. Being on the sideline on Friday nights is what motivated me to become a coach.”
Elder brother Josh said, “All I ever wanted to be was a Jayton Jaybird. I was born and raised here. I graduated from Jayton in 2002 and Hardin-Simmons University in 2007. To be able to come back and coach here in 2007 was a dream come true. I got to coach my brother his senior year. That was really special.”
John added, “My parents and brother are my biggest mentors. My dad pushed me to become the best player I could be and helped me grow to love the game. My mom was my biggest supporter and always let me know that I was the best.”
As for the year that Josh coached John at Jayton in 2008, “I will always cherish that year as a player,” said John. “Not too many times does someone get to be coached by their brother. My brother has also help mold me into the coach I am today.”
John also graduated from Hardin-Simmons University and has coached at Nazareth and Rotan before he came to Valley. At Rotan, the Yellowhammers played Jayton and John coached “against” his brother. I asked both brothers what it’s like as we are anticipating a Valley/Jayton matchup.
“I get really nervous with him across the field,” John said, describing his brother as a “good coach” who “always puts out a really good game plan.” His takeaway? “I know our hands will be full.”
Josh had similar compliments for his sibling. “It will be an honor to stand across the field from him on Friday. We grew up playing each other in Madden and NCAA football on XBox, so to get to do it in real life is a dream come true. John is one of the best coaches in the state, and he’ll have his kids ready to go.”
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