Thanks to a late bye week, it had been two weeks since the Jaybirds had taken the field as they squared off with the Crowell Wildcats in Benjamin for the bi-district championship.
Though the Jaybirds showed a bit of rust early, allowing Crowell to pick up a first down on their first possession, the boys quickly found their bearings and went on to oust the Wildcats at the half with a 54-6 victory.
“Coming off of a bye week I thought there were times where we didn’t quite play with the edge that we’re used to and gave up some stuff that we probably shouldn’t have,” said Head Coach Josh Stanaland after the game. “It put us in a situation late where we had to scramble, but we scored 24 points in the last three minutes [of the half]. It allowed us to work on some clock management and to get to work on some onside kicks, so in the long run it will be better for us.”
While it took the defense a few minutes to heat up, the offense sprinted right out of the blocks. Perhaps the most telling stat of the night is that the Wildcats did not record a single tackle for the entire game.
Junior running back Bode Ham was his usual fast and elusive self, scoring from the backfield and even on a kickoff return. Ayden Salazar contributed with a long touchdown run of his own, but the offense on this night found its main source of explosiveness from senior wide receiver Griff Reel.
“I think we threw 3 passes and Griff caught all 3 and they were all for touchdowns,” said Coach Stanaland. “They came out and they man’d (man coverage) us… I don’t think I would man us; I don’t know if I would man us with our own kids. It’s just tough, it’s a tough ask for people to run with us down the field. Griff had a matchup that we really liked and that Sean [Stanaland] really liked and so he came open a lot. Sean made some good throws and Griff made some contested catches and broke a few tackles there at midfield, so it was good and it was fun.”
The Jaybirds will continue their quest Thursday night, Nov. 21, in Hermleigh, where they will face the Blackwell Hornets (defeated Balmorhea 56-30) for the area championship.
