MANCOS – When the Bluejays look for opponents, head coach Josh Gardner casts a wide net. Between the long bus rides and the top tier competition, Gardner’s charges have learned how to step up to a challenge.
So as the Jays look to extend their state 8-man classification-leading streak to 12 consecutive years in the postseason, Gardner’s rising leaders already know what they’re in for.
Mancos will play New Mexico state runner-up Melrose to open the season on Thursday before meeting with Arizona eight-man powerhouse St. David the following week, then Colorado playoff-regular Simla – all before fall officially starts.
For a core of veteran skill position players returning to the fold, the opening gauntlet creates an ideal forge for Gardner’s team to know where they stand prior to entering the new-look Mountain League.
Senior Michael Resner leads a collection of upperclassmen in the Bluejays backfield and flanks – giving Mancos athletic director and offensive coordinator Louis Horton plenty of powerful chess pieces to conduct. Classmate James Potts will see his workload increase at tailback, while Resner rushed and threw for over 1,000 yards apiece last year.
Junior Traycer White looks to be one of the most dynamic receivers in the league this year, and he’ll join seniors Gavin Smith and Levi Gardner at the tight end positions to give Resner ample options through the air.
It’s been a more pass-happy Bluejays team in recent years, and Gardner expects more of the same, given the athleticism his team has on the edges.
“We’re always making adjustments based on the personnel, and Traycer’s proving himself to be a great route runner who catches everything – it’s hard to not have him on the field all the time,” said Gardner.
Meanwhile, the Jays look to rebuild in the trenches, where they graduated a pair of all-state multiyear starters this past May. Junior Vaughn Bankston returns as the lone starter from that unit, and he’ll accompany sophomore Boe Lewis and junior Stetson Coullier to open the running lanes for the Bluejays’ multipronged attack.
“Vaughn’s really running our offensive line, calling out what we’re doing, keeping them on pace,” said Gardner as the O-line makes significant adjustments with the new starters.
On the other side of the ball, Gardner’s team looks to be disruptive in the backfield and clog the running lanes to allow their linebackers to fly downhill. Along with playing backup quarterback, junior Hank Guiles will be a multiposition threat on the ‘D’ for the Jays.
Regarding their difficult schedule – with St. David (Arizona) and Simla replacing the Plains League teams that the Jays had played in recent years – the rare chance to play a school from The Grand Canyon State was too good to pass up, and it came through good fortune.
“Their (St. David) coach reached out to us a few years ago because he drives through Mancos to see family, and he said he wanted to play us – so when we had an opening on the schedule this year, it made for a good fit,” Gardner said of the Tigers, based just outside of Tombstone.
After their difficult stretch to begin the season, Mancos takes on St. Mary’s (Sept. 19) and a combined Sargent/Sangre de Cristo (Sept. 25) before league play kicking off on Oct. 2 at Dolores.
The Jays meet with defending league champ Sanford on Oct. 9 in the San Luis Valley before home games to close out the regular season versus Norwood (Oct. 16) and Del Norte (Oct. 23), who just dropped from 1A to 8-man this season.
“The kids are really excited to get going,” Gardner said, even as some of the position battles haven’t fully sorted themselves out, “and even with our big goals, the kids know that they have to take it one week at a time.”
