It’s the game we’ve all been waiting for.
The Jayton Jaybirds will play for the State Championship next Wednesday, December 18, at 11 a.m. at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The Jaybirds punched their ticket by rolling over the Klondike Cougars 9048 Friday night at Lubbock Frenship High School’s Peoples Bank Stadium. The Jaybirds defeated Klondike earlier in the season, but everyone knew this version of the Cougar was healthier and playing much more confident football.
The game’s first quarter had the look of a heavyweight title match as both teams delivered defensive blow after blow. It was Klondike causing a fumble at the goal line in Jayton’s opening drive, and then it was Bode Ham stripping Klondike at their goal line two drives later to save a score. The defensive flow continued throughout the first quarter and the game was 8-8 with 4 minutes left in the first half.
Then the dam broke. Following Bode Ham’s second touchdown (16-8), Jayton would recover an onside kick and Ham would hit the
I always heard about ’84 and ’85 and then I got to watch my brother go play for it in 2006 and itwas a dream to get there and to get to do this.Nobody in the world loves Jayton more than I do.And so for me as a graduate,it means a lot.–
JAYBIRDS HEAD COACH JOSH STANALAND endzone again (24-8). The next possession saw Klondike fumble and Griff Reel pick it up and race to the endzone (32-8). The final four minutes of the first half saw Jayton explode and take the halftime lead 46-16.
While the second half featured back-and-forth scoring, it was the nonoffensive touchdowns that helped Jayton pull away even further. Colt Gentry added a fumble recovery for a touchdown and a kickoff return for the score. Sean Stanaland featured a picksix, and the end result was a 42 point lead that saw the Jaybirds kneel out the final minute and a half to punch their ticket to Jerry-World.
The game once again saw Bode Ham tote the load to the tune of 16 carries for 145 yards and 5 touchdowns even though he was the focal point of the Cougar defense.
Manyotherplayerscould be highlighted for their great contributions. We could talk about Ayden Salazar’s team-leading 14 tackles, Bode Ham’s two strips of Cougar running backs, the continued defensive line dominance of Griff Reel and Colt Gentry, or the trustworthy leg of sophomore kicker Tucker Scott.
But on this night the player that shone bright in the key moments was quarterback Sean Stanaland. Several drives found the Jaybirds backed up facing 4th down, and time after time it was Stanaland using his legs (8 carries, 93 yards, 1 TD) to scramble for the much needed first, or it was Stanaland using his arm (7/9 – 180yds – 1 TD) with 10 seconds left in the first half dropping a dime to Colt Gentry for the timely score. It was Stanaland adding the pick-six on defense and routinely batting away deep pass attempts by the Cougars.
There is no doubt this game was a team effort, and this team was led by the clutch play of its quarterback.
After the game, head coach Josh Stanaland was asked about the play of his quarterback. “Sean Stanaland’s a kid who we want the ball in his hands. We know we can trust him, he’s proven that over the years. He’s a three-year starter at quarterback for us, and when the moment's big, Sean Stanaland is going to make a play.”
Stanaland will now get the opportunity to lead his team to AT&T Stadium to play the Oakwood Panthers for the state title. If you are unfamiliar with the Panthers then prepare yourself for an unexpected matchup. No one expected Oakwood, who began the year 2-5 and battled through adversity to enter the playoffs, to make it this far.
While Jayton opened the week as a heavy 45-point favorite in the state game, it is worth noting that Oakwood has made a living lately beating the odds. They have been picked to lose their last two games and yet somehow managed to defeat Iredell 64-50 in the state quarterfinal game and Oglesby 54-51 last week to advance to face Jayton. If Jayton is to bring home the title, they will need to put an end to the Panthers’ Cinderella season.
Jayton’s head coach is planning to do just that. “You know, something I dreamed about as a little kid, and then dreamed about it as a player,” said Stanaland, “I always heard about ’84 and ’85 and then I got to watch my brother go play for it in 2006 and it was a dream to get there and to get to do this. Nobody in the world loves Jayton more than I do. And so for me as a graduate, it means a lot. It means a lot.”
