Jefferson City building confidence, entering second season of Coach Thomas era
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Jefferson City High School is vying for a breakout season.
The Jays are tackling practices for the 2025 campaign, working to build on the foundation set in the team's first year under head coach Eric Thomas.
After establishing a new scheme and culture last season, Jefferson City is preparing for Week 1 with more poise and familiarity in the system that Coach Thomas introduced. The continuity is beginning to blossom into increased confidence on the gridiron.
"I think this year, it's building confidence like everything was so new for everyone last year," Thomas said. "We've got some guys coming back that kind of know the system, know what we want, know how we want to get things done, so I think that's the big steps into this next year. Kids really understanding an grasping the product we're trying to put on the field."
With last year's experience, the program is starting to evolve into the vision that Coach Thomas has for his alma mater.
"I think we're starting to bring more energy, more effort to everything and really just building some toughness," Thomas said. "I think we've got some good senior leadership that's starting to emerge and even some leaders down into the junior class. People are following those leaders. They're not resistant to be led, which I think is a huge situation for us."
The Jays are aiming for their growing confidence to translate into more wins this season. Jefferson City posted just three victories during the 2024 campaign, its lowest number of wins since 2020. However, under the leadership of a back-to-back state champion at Jefferson City (1990-91), the Jays are forging a familiar identity, one that Coach Thomas embraced during his playing days.
"We've been talking more and more about just playing fast. That doesn't mean like how fast we're snapping the ball, but are we running to the football on defense or are we playing as fast as we can play offense when that ball snaps, can we go 100 miles per hour? That's been the identity at Jefferson City High School for a long time. Can you play fast from snap to whistle? Can you be tough? Can you outwork people?" Thomas said.
The Jays will return more experience on defense than offense from last year's team but are bringing back some impact players at key positions on both sides of the football. Coach Thomas highlighted quarterback Alex Wilson, running back Zach Barnes, offensive lineman Ethan Leonard, linebacker Josiah Jensen and defensive end Victor Azuara as some of the team's established leaders. With its season opener on the horizon, Thomas is instilling a message of togetherness within his program and its leaders.
"Just staying the course and understanding that this is a growth and a building process. I think our guys are holding together. I think that's what we got to do during the season is make sure that we stay the course, stay together," Thomas said. "It's a tremendous conference. It's a tremendous schedule. There's going to be ups and downs, and we've got to weather the downs and excel and celebrate the ups and just stay the course throughout the season."
Jefferson City opens the 2025 season at Central Missouri Activities Conference (CMAC) challenger Camdenton on Friday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m.
