Outwork, Overachieve: Jefferson City kicks off new chapter of storied program
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A new era of Jefferson City high school football begins on Aug. 30. Jefferson City alum Eric Thomas is preparing for his first season as the head coach of his hometown Jays.
Thomas was a member of the 1990 and 1991 Jefferson City state championship teams, and now, he is returning home to lead his alma mater on the sidelines. As a player, an 'outwork and overachieve' mindset was instilled in the teams that Thomas played for. As a head coach, that's the same culture he wants to build with the Jays, honoring the past while still building new traditions at Jefferson City.
"I think our biggest thing is just trying to build a culture of discipline, a culture of hard work and a culture that we're going to overachieve and we're just going to outwork people," Thomas said. "That's something I learned here was outwork and overachieve and continue to instill that into kids. Those championship years were a long time ago, and we've got to remember that. We've got to understand that. Obviously, we want to do that. We want to continue to work, but we want to work to build our own traditions."
The Jays enter the 2024 season, following a state semifinal run just one year prior. Jefferson City finished that campaign with a 9-5 record and their first district championship in more than 15 years. Thomas and his team are striving to build on that success, and the Jays have the right mindset to accomplish that goal.
"We're a hard-working group. We've got a lot of athletes running around. Our offensive line is really young, but they are physical, they want to get off the ball and I think that's a big key for us. Like I said, we got a lot of athletes that can get a lot of things done on the field that we're going to utilize and get them out there and get them going," Thomas said.
More than just building off last season's success, Jefferson City is working to lay the foundation for the program to continue its upward trend with a strong first year under its new leader.
"What we've talked to the kids about is just being the best team we can be, and I say that word 'team' literally. How well can we come together? How well can we bond? How well can we continue to improve and progress as the year goes on?" Thomas said. "If you get to the end of it, and you've become the best team that you can be, and you're putting everything that you can possibly do on to the field and playing at the top level that we can play at, then that's what you worry about. What are we doing in our program and our system to continue to improve?"
The Jays kick off the 2024 season at Adkins Stadium against Camdenton, the newest member of the CMAC. Thomas' debut as Jefferson City's head football coach is scheduled for Aug. 30 at 7 p.m.
