The Remarkable Recovery of Rayshawn…and how Admiral Farragut made it to the state-semis
By Chris Girandola
When I saw Admiral Farragut early in the season, I was amazed at the Division I’ er, FBS Division, caliber of talent on the field. After they demolished Victory Christian in the Blue Jackets’ first game of the season, I said to myself, “This is a championship team, for sure.”
They had Rayshawn Jenkins, the 6-2, 195-pound All-Everything and a Miami-commit who could finally line up at his natural positions of running back and wide receiver after spending last year at quarterback.
They had Cortavious Givens, a 5-11, 200-lb. sophomore running back who had already jumped onto the national scene with impressive freshman season and even more impressive performances in summer camps.
They had Todd Macon, a 5-11, 200-lb. backup at running back who rushed for 389 yards and three touchdowns last season.
They had Alvin Cunningham, a 6-3, 185-lb wide receiver who is also an elite basketball player and track athlete.
They had Napoleon Maxwell, a 5-11, 185-lb. sophomore linebacker Bluejackets coach Chris Miller anticipates playing on the Division I level next season.
They had good-sized linemen like Dylan Richards (6-2, 220), A.J. Stanford (6-4, 260), Brendon Staas (6-2, 220), and Jonathan Jun (6-2, 270),
And they had two capable quarterbacks in Kyle Craichy and Colby Robinson, who both transferred in to provide the Blue Jackets with an efficient passing game and relief for Jenkins.
But just as quickly as Admiral Farragut scored in five straight possessions against the Storm, those title hopes seemingly vanished when the Blue Jackets suffered debilitating injuries shortly after a 51-0 rout of Shorecrest in the second game of the season.
First, Jenkins went down with a fractured rib in practice and then Givens’ season was cut short when he suffered a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in his knee during a 12-10 loss to Canterbury. Add to it Cunningham’s turf toe injury, linebacker Napoleon Maxwell’s concussion and defensive back Dontae McGee’s bruised shoulder and the Blue Jackets suddenly went from being favorites in the Class 2A-5 district to looking up at and worried by undefeated Canterbury and Indian Rocks Christian.
And then when Richards and Staas were lost for a few weeks due to sprained knees, the Blue Jackets seem destined to be visited by the Grim Reaper.
But Miller and his coaching staff hunkered down like the military leaders on campus would do and they devised a plan to deal with the setbacks.
“We increased the workload tremendously,” Miller said. “We knew we had capable parts to fill in where some of the guys were missing so we weren’t about to panic. We had Todd, who led us in rushing last year. We had Napoleon, who split time at running back. We had two quarterbacks who had already proven they could handle the workload. We just weren’t going to be able to pass as much because we had lost guys like Rayshawn and Alvin.”
Macon proceeded to rush for 100-plus yards in every game except the 21-13 win over Keswick in which the junior had 80 yards and one touchdown. Over five games without Jenkins, Macon racked up 808 yards and five touchdowns, including a 293-yard day in a wild 49-41 comeback win over Carrollwood Day and a 176-yard game in an even crazier 34-32 victory over Indian Rocks Christian.
“I knew Todd would be able to carry the load and assume the leadership role because he had led us in rushing over the previous two seasons,” said Miller.
Miller, who had begun the season with a Pro-Set offense, began adding wrinkles to it with some spread and some option.
Craichy completed 11-of-25 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns over four games during Jenkins’ absence and Robinson has gone10-for-18 for 188 yards and one touchdown.
When Jenkins returned, Craichy completed all three of his four passes to Jenkins and finished the 38-22 win over Bradenton Christian with 123 passing yards. One of his completions ended up in a 65-yard touchdown by Jenkins.
Robinson’s 47 passing yards in the win over Bradenton Christian included a 33-yard hookup with Jenkins for a touchdown as well.
Everyone is healthy now (besides Givens) and the Blue Jackets are flying high, no pun intended.
In two playoff games, Jenkins has rushed for 561 yards on 29 carries and he’s tallied six touchdowns. Not bad for someone who missed half the season.
He helped the Blue Jackets beat the previously undefeated Evangelical Christian squad on the road, rushing for 356 yards and touchdown runs of 76, 50 and 80 yards.
He then helped Farragut avenge the loss to Canterbury in last Friday’s 38-24 win with 205 yards on 15 carries, including touchdown runs of 11, 3 and 75 yards.
Macon added 130 yards in the win as the Blue Jackets demonstrated how versatile they have become with Jenkins back in the thick of things.
And how dangerous.
“It’s like the (Tim) Tebow effect in Denver,” Miller said. “Everyone on the team begins playing different when he’s on the field. He exudes confidence and players step their game up. The level of play is different and you get a different vibe when he’s on the field.”
So, there might be a whole bunch of talk about the Blue Jackets being underdogs to a Glades Day team that won a state title last year (and seems to win one every season). There might be a whole lot of chatter about the state’s all-time leading rusher Kelvin Taylor, who broke Emmitt Smith’s all-time career-rushing mark of 8,804 yards, coming to town.
But at the end of Friday night, if the Blue Jackets advance to the county’s first-ever state finals since Dixie Hollins in 1995, the buzz around the state might just be about what Jenkins did – AGAIN – in the playoffs.