Press Box: Reasons for optimism remain for Jays football

News Tribune Sports Commentary

Jefferson City cornerback Dennis Barnes intercepts a pass intended for Rockhurst receiver Chris Teahan and returns it for a touchdown during Friday night's game in Kansas City.
Jefferson City cornerback Dennis Barnes intercepts a pass intended for Rockhurst receiver Chris Teahan and returns it for a touchdown during Friday night's game in Kansas City.

The Jefferson City Jays are 5-4 and finished the regular season with three straight losses, including a 49-6 drubbing Friday night at Rockhurst.

photo

AP

Kenny Perry kisses the trophy Sunday, July 14, 2013, after winning the U.S. Senior Open golf tournament in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

It's not the results the coaching staff, the players or the fans would have expected this season.

Wins came easy early on, facing opponents with a combined record of 2-25 in the first three games of the season.

Then came a humbling experience at Har-Ber (Springdale, Ark.) in the form of a 54-14 loss.

But Jefferson City got right back on track, beating then ninth-ranked St. Louis University High 26-0 on the road and running away from Rock Bridge 61-21.

The Jays were right back where they were before their first road trip of the season. But fast forward three weeks and the Jefferson City is on a downward slope toward an early exit in district play.

Before the season started, coach Ted LePage told the team they could accomplish something special.

After Friday night's loss, he continued to say the Jays still have the potential for a postseason run.

"These guys, they are a good football team and they've got a chance to do some special things," he said "We've got an opportunity in front of us yet. I'm going to try to give them every opportunity to be the best they can."

The season is nowhere close to being over for the Jays.

In Week 7 against C.B.C., they showed how good they can be by only losing by six to the top-ranked Cadets.

That game made a statement, proving they could play toe-to-toe with the best in the state. They needed that, especially after the loss in Arkansas earlier in the season.

The third loss of the season came against Battle, the second-ranked team in Class 5. Certainly not a bad loss.

Friday's defeat isn't exactly a bad loss since it was against the sixth-ranked team in Class 6, but the way they lost wasn't encouraging.

The few times they drove down the field, they couldn't finish it off with points.

Even at the end, when Jefferson City couldn't get a play off in time from seven yards away from the end zone.

They took a timeout with 51 seconds left, but the clock ran out after two incompletions. The running clock kept the Jays from finishing off a drive for the first time in the game.

But the timeout in the final minute meant he Jays at least wanted to keep trying and keep pushing, in hopes of scoring on offense.

"These guys show up every day and I'm going to coach them every second of every game," LePage said.

After their worst loss of the season, LePage said he wanted to meet with the team and brainstorm about what he can do different, the other coaches can do different and what the players can change before letting a promising season get flushed away.

Like LePage said, the Jays are 0-0. The regular season is over, but the season is not lost. What they do this week and beyond is what counts.

Just think back to 2014 when Battle was 5-4 heading into the playoffs. The Spartans rolled off six straight wins to become Class 5 champions.

The difference between the Jays' season ending next week or in mid-November can be determined what they do this week. Not just Friday against Blue Springs South at Adkins Stadium, but what that meeting accomplishes during the week.

"Everything we want to do is still in front of us," LePage said. "We've played a heck of a schedule. Now we just need to make sure that we go in next week and get some momentum going and move forward."