Wait, huh? Jordan?
Yes, those precocious Warriors playing their inaugural year of varsity football are making some serious noise in one of the more competitive districts in the state. And nothing was louder than Friday’s 41-13 smacking of Paetow at Rhodes Stadium.
Jordan is 3-1 overall, 2-0 in district play. Paetow dropped to 3-2, 2-1. The Warriors led 14-7 at the half and outscored the Panthers 27-6 in the second, with Paetow’s second touchdown coming on the final play of the fourth quarter as the clock hit zeroes.
“These kids have taken football seriously since the day they walked onto campus,” coach Mike Rabe said. “They’ve wanted to be good. They want to prove they could compete in this district. They’re doing it.
“They work and grind every day and do whatever we ask them to do. They’ve earned a victory like this.”
Jordan coaches devised a smart game-plan. Players executed it.
Offensively, the Warriors negated Paetow’s size, talent, speed and strength in the defensive front seven as junior quarterback Colin Willetts managed an impressive game.
Willetts completed 10 of 18 passes for 112 yards and three touchdowns and was only sacked once for a two-yard loss. His only mishap was a fumble in the first half recovered by Paetow’s Alex Kilgore that led to the Panthers’ first score.
Otherwise, Willets got rid of the ball quickly, almost always made the right read and kept the chains moving. He was supported by an opportunistic running game anchored by sophomore Chad Gasper (18 carries, 93 yards, TD) and a workmanlike offensive line of Tegan Marroquin, Nick Washington, Jovanni Melchor, Josh Mahoney and Jackson Conley that, though vastly undersized, won the battle of the trenches against a Paetow defensive line led by five-star recruit David Hicks Jr., the No. 9 overall prospect in the country, and three-star recruit Jarra Anderson.
“We knew we were the underdogs,” said Willetts, who completed touchdown passes of 25, 64 and 18 yards to Andrew Marsh, Zechariah Sample and Connor Babin, respectively. “We practiced all week, had a bye week and took the opportunity to get better. Our game-plan tonight, we executed it. Our O-line did very well against, probably, one of the best defenses in Texas. They gave me time to throw the ball and the receivers were making great plays for me.”
Once the Warriors figured early on that drop-back passing would not lead to much success, they adjusted by rolling Willetts out of the pocket more. It generated time and cleaner looks by forcing the Paetow defense to move, whether vertically or horizontally.
“It gave him some time to where he can have some vision down the field,” Rabe said. “He executed it well. He really looked comfortable when he could escape a little bit.”
Defensively, the Warriors were just as intentional.
Linemen Tosin Odulate and Jason Lee invaded Paetow’s backfield early and often. Linebacker Nicholas Olinger had a 26-yard pick-6 early in the third quarter, pushing Jordan’s lead to 27-7.
Sample, a two-way dynamo, provided a couple of crushing hits, one that led to a fumble. Against a Paetow team that prides itself on being physical, Jordan was the punishing aggressor.
“There wasn’t anything defensively I didn’t like tonight,” Rabe said. “They did a really good job. We have a good defensive coaching staff with kids who have bought in. It was really fun to watch them operate.”
Jordan held Paetow to 219 total yards and 3.1 yards per play. The Panthers ran for 59 yards on 29 carries and completed 16 of 41 passes (39 percent).
“We understood they have a lot of good offensive powers,” said Odulate, who had two sacks and two tackles for loss. “The quarterback has a strong arm. The running back is good as well. They have a big offensive line. We had to beat them in the pass game. We had to shut down the run, and I think we did a really good job of that. Our defensive front, the front seven, really did a great job.”
Coming into the game, Rabe noticed his players were poised, calm. Confident. Even-keel. He did not get the sense that they were nervous or intimidated by playing a distinguished program like Paetow.
“I was really surprised by that,” Rabe said. “You would think you would run into that with an inexperienced team but there was none of those nerves or anxiety. They prepare really well, so they’re really confident in what they’re going to do when they come out on the field.”
Odulate said players hear the disrespect about Jordan football. They are aware of everyone dismissing them. They heard all summer about how Class 6A football would eat them alive. How they’re nothing more than the new kids on the block.
And all Jordan has done in response is win. Demonstratively, at that, with its three victories coming by an average of 35 points per game.
“People thought we’d be 0-10,” Willetts said. “Just keep watching.”
