It’s been a banner year thus far for the Union Local Jets.
Coming off an impressive 49-20 win against previously unbeaten Shenandoah, the Jets are 5-0 heading into Friday’s road meeting with Weir (3-1). The last time UL started the season 5-0, the team faced—and defeated—Weir 13-7 back in 2017. That’s also the last time the team posted a winning record, finishing 8-3 after falling in the first round of the playoffs.
A big part of this season’s successes can be attributed to senior Jaksan Price. For example, against Shenandoah Price ran for 245 yards and four touchdowns.
Price has rumbled, rolled, and outraced defenders for 1,089 yards and 18 touchdowns, averaging 217.8 yards per contest. Against the Zeps, he eclipsed the school record for both touchdowns scored and total points, surpassing UL great Chad Rogers in both categories.
Rogers, in attendance that night in Morristown, met and talked briefly with Price after the game and took a photo with him. It was a memorable moment for the senior.
“It was really special, even more special since Chad was there and he came and got a picture with me and congratulated me,” Price said.
Special is how one could describe Price’s efforts this season, although even he admitted: “we still have a lot to work on.”
Price’s scoring records are impressive as his yards per game (217.8) and per carry (12.4) totals but consider this: Price missed nearly his entire junior season because of a broken leg suffered during the Monroe Central game in Week 1. What transpired the following 12 months is a testament to hard work and dogged determination can pay off.
Price not only came back from his injury, but did so stronger and faster than before, and the efforts are proving fruitful on the playing field.
“He had his leg looked at multiple times and when we learned it was broken and he’d miss the season, he was disheartened,” said Union Local head coach Bernie Thompson. “But he was bound and determined to get back better. He attacked the weights, lifting with his upper body until his leg was strong enough from rehab to work (his lower body).
“He lived in the weight room and is one of the hardest working, most selfless, driven individuals so it’s cool to see it paying off for him now. I’m not surprised.”
Thompson noted he can see the positive effects of Price’s countless hours in the weight room in his running style.
A starter since his freshman season, Price stands 5-foot-11 and weighs a solid 205 pounds, giving him more of the punishing power back-type build. That’s how he made a name for himself the previous three seasons.
“He’s still a ground-and-pound type of kid, but not only is he running through defenders, but also by them,” Thompson said. “He never had that extra gear before. He was more of a bruiser. A downhill, in-between-the-tackles type of runner.
“But right now, Jaksan is running by guys.”
Modified Offense
The original offensive game plan for 2022 was the two-headed backfield monster of the bruising Price and the elusive Hayden McCrate. But McCrate logged all of two carries for nine yards before an injury caused him to miss the next few games.
McCrate, along with play-making receiver Gannon Kerns, has been forced to watch from the sideline, and the offense has shifted somewhat in their absence.
Our offense this year was going to be a ground and pound with our two-headed monster, but we’ve evolved into a single back with Jaksan, still being able to run between the tackles but also get to the outside. Carter (Blake) and Jackson give us a great 1-2 punch because they are physical kids that are hard to bring down. I was a receiver and I’m a pass-first guy, so I like to spread things out, but you have to evolve with your players, and we have good backs and we want to give them the ball.”
Blake, an experienced leader and passer at quarterback, is also a capable runner and is the team’s second-leading rusher with 420 yards and eight touchdowns. Through the air, he is 20 of 50 for 253 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
UL does primarily run, but operating out of the shotgun with three and four receiver sets prevents the defense from overloading the line of scrimmage in all-out effort of stopping Price.
Once McCrate and Kerns return, it will only open up things more.
Thompson, though, finds it easy to be patient mid-way through the regular season.
“We want to make sure they feel 100 percent confident and ease them back into play,” Thompson said. “They’ve missed multiple weeks and our goal is to get their feet wet and prepared for the last three games of the year.”
UL has athletes and Thompson wants as many on the field as possible. The emergence of sophomore Dre Saunders, who leads the team in receiving with 15 catches for 153 yards, has been a boon. Others like Billy Schumacher, Dylan Higgenbotham, and Clay Akers are making contributions in the passing game, as well.
Soon there may not be enough footballs to go around, but for Thompson and Company, that’s a nice problem to have.
Taking Nothing for Granted
Like Price believes, there is more work to be done. That’s because no one on this team is taking the 5-0 start for granted.
A similar start fueled excitement during the 2021 season. After starting 4-0—a potential fifth game with Buckeye Local was canceled because of COVID—the Jets were on the business end of a 56-12 humbling loss to Westinghouse.
A narrow win against one-win Magnolia followed (26-23), followed by three straight losses to St. Clairsville, Bellaire, and Barnesville. UL backed into the postseason but gave a spirited fight in a 35-21 loss to No. 3-seeded John Glenn.
So while spirits are high in Morristown, they are tempered with a sense of realism in how a strong start can quickly take a downward turn if the team loses its focus, or its edge.
“We were in the same position last year, 4-0 with a ton of momentum, and ran into a gauntlet of a back half of the schedule and it wore us down,” Thompson said. “Now we know how to prepare, not only as coaches, but players, for our minds, bodies, and to get ready for that back half. It’s not easy. We know where we stand and what’s ahead and we’re taking it one game at a time and focused on getting better each day.
“I know it’s cliché, but we have leaders all around, good culture guys, and they are hard workers who show up. We know if we do the right thing, good things will come our way. We want more than 5-0. There’s a lot of football left to play and we plan on having bigger aspirations than 5-0.”
UL currently sits at No. 3 in Division V, Region 19’s standings behind Ironton and Harvest Prep. After Weir, the Jets have a similar remaining schedule in-home dates vs. Cambridge and St. Clairsville, followed by road games at Bellaire and rival and fellow unbeaten Barnesville in a Battle for the Milk Jug to close out the year.
Trust the Process
This is year No. 5 for Thompson, a UL grad who made a name for himself as a talented, sure-handed receiver in the Jets’ pass-happy offense.
He returned later as a young mid-20s head coach at his alma mater. That likely afforded him a little leeway as Thompson learned on the job as he worked to build the program.
In his first season, the Jets finished 3-7, but that was followed by an 0-10 campaign when many of this year’s talented senior first got their starts.
A 2-8 season came in year No. 3 and only last season did the Jets finish with a non-losing record, going 5-4 in the record season and .500 total after the postseason loss.
“Three years ago, we went 0-10 and boy, was I miserable,” Thompson recalled. “I joke around that I was the worst coach in the stage of Ohio and we were arguably the worst team.
“But we’ve worked to develop hard, strong kids both mentally and physically, and that’s changed everything for us. The development and change in the weight room have carried over to the practice field and onto the field on Friday nights.
“Building that confidence in 15-18-year-olds, to understand and trust the process, has been key.”
That process is certainly bearing fruit now. The change is evident. But it may have been hard to see back in the early days, not only for players but also fans. Fortunately for Thompson, the UL fan base is a faithful and patient group.
There were no for-sale signs in Thompson’s yard. Being a former Jet himself certainly didn’t hurt.
“I think (being an alum) went a long way, not only with the kids, but the community,” Thompson said. “They knew who I was and trusted me. We went through some hard years, but the community was behind me and I’m very grateful for that.
“The school was behind me and trusted the process, and now it’s working out.”
Thompson now has a job inside the school building as an assistant treasurer, which makes his administrative duties of running the program much easier.
It’s been an entire culture change, one of hard work and sacrifice for the sake of the team, one all the players, seemingly from the middle school on up, are bought into fully. A program that featured around 25 players when Thompson took over has grown to 50. The junior high program too is growing and flourishing.
“We’ve worked to build those relationships with these kids and they are not only trusting me and the staff, but also the process. It’s easier now. They are seeing it work and our numbers are growing,” Thompson said. “And I try to be very hands-on with the junior high program. The coaches and I meet weekly and make sure we’re all on the same page. We want the kids to enjoy football and like it. At that level, third and fourth, fifth and sixth, it’s not so much about winning games as it is learning how to understand how to play, and to like the game.
“When they get to high school, we can decide who each of the players are and what they bring to the table.”
