by Rusty Ellis
The Cumberland County Jets find themselves at 0-7 on the season, including 0-3 in region play after their 40-14 defeat at the hands of Stone Memorial on Friday night.
While many people may be worried about the Jets and where the season has gone, head coach Noah Repasky is quick to say that there’s plenty of positives for him to point out. On a young team like this, it all starts with his seniors’ leadership.
“Our attitude and mentality is something we’ve talked about the entire time,” Repasky said. “This is a program that’s been down for several years, and it just doesn’t change overnight…our seniors have kept a good attitude, and I feel like we’re getting better. We’ve shown flashes, but we’re still trying to put it all together for four quarters.”
One of the young players that’s stepped up for Repasky is freshman quarterback Noah Potter. Being a team’s signal-caller is never an easy feat, and it gets even tougher when you’re as young as Potter is. While there have certainly been mistakes, Repasky says he’s seen some real growth and development from his quarterback.
“He’s matured as a leader of our offense,” Repasky said. “I think he’s just more comfortable in his role on the field…he’s always thrown the ball well for us, and his accuracy and decision-making is getting better. When he starts putting everything together, people will begin to see the strides he’s making.”
Another key player has been running back Drayton Hairston, a player who’s new to the system this season, but you couldn’t really tell based on how he plays. In fact as Repasky points out, he’s just a big game or two away from finishing with a 1,000-yard season.
One of the biggest advantages to having a productive back in his eyes is the weight it takes off his quarterback’s shoulders.
“I’m really proud of the season Drayton’s had,” Repasky said. “Whenever he’s running the ball, he’s hitting holes and breaking tackles and doing what he can to get us some yards…with a freshman quarterback, when he’s right he makes our offense go and takes pressure off of Noah. He’s made some really big runs for us this year.”
Across the field from the Jets this week will be the Livingston Academy Wildcats, a fellow 0-7 team after falling 48-0 in DeKalb County this past week.
Regarding the loss in Smithville, LA head coach Dale Flatt says everything just seemingly snowballed on them after an early special teams miscue.
“We stopped them, but then they blocked a punt and we struggled offensively after that,” Flatt said. “(Colby Barnes) was really tough for us to get on the ground…hats off to DeKalb County, that’s a really good football team.”
Flatt is aware of the challenges that a team like Cumberland County can provide for his Wildcats, and even knowing how much they run the ball, he’s also weary of how difficult the Jets can be to defend through the air.
“(Potter’s) a freshman quarterback who is slinging it right now,” Flatt said. “We’re both in similar situations, so it should be a good game to watch. We’ll just see who comes out on top.”
One aspect of the game that Livingston has had success in this season is getting the ball into playmakers’ hands such as Nathan Cowgill and Jake Hughes. For the Wildcats to have a chance at winning their first game in over two years, Flatt knows they, along with the rest of the team, will have to play their best game.
“It’s really important for us to get them involved,” Flatt said. “I think this is going to be a good, close game, and I think our boys are fired up and ready for this…they just want to get out of there and play ball.”
And Repasky knows what the records are as well. It’s no secret that someone is leaving the field on Friday with their first win, and the third-year Jets head coach is mentally preparing his players for a battle in Overton County.
“We feel like we’ve let a couple games go, and we’ve played well in spurts,” Repasky said. “We feel like we’re ready and we’re prepared, but we’ve got to take that next step…we’re really hungry for a win, and this is going to come down to who wants it more.”
Full coverage of Cumberland County’s battle with Livingston will be available on Uppercumberlandreporter.com, featuring a story, photos and video highlights following the game.