Football’s Big in Senior’s Life
“Football has been pretty big in my life. I played recreation, travel and middle school football, pretty much did everything football,” Jaylon Mitchell began.
To complete his football “everything,” Jaylon, Jasper County High School (JCHS) Class of 2020, also played football during high school for the Monticello Hurricanes as a running back and a safety.
Jaylon is surrounded by family, with several aunts, uncles, cousins and grandmothers in Jasper County and the nearby area. He’s lived in Monticello most of his life, sharing time with his grandmothers, Patsy Boykin and Marilyn Mitchell and his parents Natasha and Mazzetti Mitchell.
Natasha, his mother, works for Geico. She has set up a home office and made the transition to working at home during the coronavirus. His father, Mazzetti, works at Pactiv, a manufacturer of disposable food packaging in Covington, and has had to continue working at his job site.
Jaylon also lives with his younger sister Amiya, a rising tenth grader at JCHS and his twin brother Jordan, a member of the JCHS Class of 2020 and a fellow Hurricanes’ football player.
“We’re often clumped together,” he told me of his twin, sharing that sometimes people always think of them as a unit and doing everything together. For this article, they won’t be. “My brother’s not in the interviewing mood but I will gladly participate,” Jaylon texted as we touched base on the day of the interview, proving they don’t always do the same things.
“Being in a small town, I feel like it’s better,” he said talking about growing up in Monticello, sharing that it has always been easy for him to make friends here. “It’s a nice town, that’s for sure. The people are great.”
An admitted homebody, staying at home during the shelter in place for the coronavirus has not been difficult for him. “I’ve been staying at home the entire time. That’s been the number one thing, my parents saw to that,” he told me. “I wouldn’t risk it, anyway,” Jaylon said. “Once the pandemic hit Atlanta, I thought, this is serious, this is really happening. And then it hit Jasper.”
Though staying at home has not been difficult for Jaylon, he did miss not being able to finish his senior year at school. Not being able to see his friends has been the hardest for him.
“I’m pretty close to everybody. We’re all close.” he said, a sentiment shared by many of his fellow seniors. According to Jaylon, in some ways the school work became easier when the schools were closed and work started online. At times, however, work was harder. “The fact that you didn’t have anybody directly teaching you, you had to figure it out yourself,” he said.
A favorite teacher is Ms. Bobbi Sauls. “She’s understanding and wants you to get through your work,” he told me. Jaylon reported that most of the teachers at JCHS are helpful, telling me that the teachers and students at JCHS have a lot in common and take care of each other.
In addition to playing football, Jaylon ran track at JCHS, the 100 meters his favorite event. He is disappointed to miss his senior year of track. He tried basketball in the eighth grade, but liked football better and chose it. His dad, also from Jasper County, played football as a Hurricane at JCHS but according to Jaylon his father really liked baseball the best. His mom, from Sandersville, is also a graduate of JCHS. Jaylon sheepishly confessed that he did not know if his mom had been a high school athlete.
Playing sports has had a huge impact on Jaylon. “I’m still trying to figure out my college major,” he said. “It’ll probably be sports management. If it’s not me actually, playing, I want to stay involved,” he added.
He loves the entertainment value of team sports and the feel goods that happen when the crowd cheers. He credits playing sports with helping him to learn how to focus and to not give up on things easily.
“After football practice, I came home and got straight to work on schoolwork,” Jaylon said. “Football taught me there are times when you had to stop what you’re doing and get to work.”
Jaylon is looking forward to college. “It’s something new and different and you’re on your own there. My main goal is to get out and see what’s out there,” he said. It won’t all be different for Jaylon. He will be attending Kennesaw State University with his twin brother.
“We are looking for student housing now,” Jaylon said. He is hoping to room with his brother, telling me, “we’ve been with each other our entire lives.”
His parents are excited about college for Jaylon and his brother. “They want us to do good for ourselves, always telling us to do something good with your life,” he shared.
Always determined. Always laughter to try and make things better. This is how Jaylon describes himself and thinks others might describe him, too. And smart he told me, telling me it feels good to learn.
“This year I felt different. I don’t know where it came from, but this year it felt good to learn.” Maybe turning 18, graduating from high school during a pandemic and getting ready for college have something to do with the difference.
Jaylon’s words of wisdom for next year’s seniors? “Make sure you do all your work. Study. Study. Study. And if you need help, ask.” Good words of wisdom for all of us.
