By T. Scott Boatright
Some football players’ abilities are based solely on reactions.
Others might be the cerebral type, preferring to base their play on the mental aspects of the game.
And then they are some, like Ruston High School junior linebacker Jadon Mayfield, who combine those approaches in the way they play the game.
Mayfield is one of those players that doesn’t only have a high football IQ, but also seems to have some innate feel or knowledge about the game and especially playing linebacker that goes beyond mere reaction, and it’s for that reason that Mayfield plays a crucial role for the Bearcats calling plays and signals as “quarterback” of the team’s defense.
“I always knew he was a really good athlete and has a nose for the football — that sort of thing that comes natural to some players,” Baugh said. “Those things that aren’t really coachable — his football sense and savvy, and knowing what everybody on the defense is supposed to be doing and where they need to be.
“It’s those abilities and his communication skills that I think is a big part of the reason our defense is playing as well as it is. (RHS defensive coordinator Kyle Williams) and Jadon work really well together talking about what we need to have and that kind of thing. He sees something and he calls it, because he knows it and that’s what he’s been told to do.”
Baugh admits those kinds of players aren’t all that common.
“Through the years, defensively, I’ve had probably a handful of those kinds of guys,” Baugh said. “And I’m not sure that many of those guys had that awareness of what everybody around him needs to be doing and the understanding of the whole defense the way Jadon does.”
Those abilities add flexibility to Ruston’s defense and have allowed Mayfeld to be given crucial control during Bearcats football games.
“You can have a call defensively, and then all of a sudden the offense shifts or does something that obviously you didn’t see before you made the defensive call,” Baugh said. “If you have a player who’s out there on the field and can make adjustments and move guys around to where we need to have them, then that obviously helps.
“And that’s what Jadon does. He has some checks he can move to when he recognizes personnel groupings, or the formation they’re in — where the back may be aligned and where the motion is going -— he has the ability to recognize that and move people into the right position to be in the best position to make plays.”
Mayfield said he wasn’t taught that kind of defensive knowledge but instead is something that simply comes naturally and easily.
“I’ve played since I was eight and just seem to have picked it up very well,” Mayfield said. “I just understand playing defense. That game just seems to come easier to me than it does for some others.”
Mayfield showcased those abilities when he accounted for Ruston’s first score in last week’s 17-14 win over Cabot, Arkansas.
Early in the first quarter of that win Mayfield saw a pass coming, stepped between the receiver and the football and raced it back 69 yards for a touchdown.
“Coach (Williams) had drawn up a play he thought would work and as soon as the ball was snapped I realized that I had to react really fast but that we had made the right call,” Mayfield said. “So I just grabbed it and then fought my way to the end zone.”
Mayfield has been one of Ruston’s top defenders on the season, making nine tackles and picking off a pass in the season opener against Warren Easton, five tackles and a fumble recovery in a win over Jesuit and eight takedowns along with his pick six against Cabot.
He’s also played a little fullback for Ruston’s offense — a position he received snaps playing as a freshman for the Bearcats.
Mayfield had three carries for 80 yards, including a 74-yard scoring scamper against Jesuit and one six-yard rushing attempt against Cabot.
He said playing in the offensive backfield has helped him on the defensive side of the ball.
“It’s helped me realize what a running back wants to do,” Mayfield said. “It helps me realize what gap they’re looking to run in and what they see when they hit the hole. That helps me better myself as far as putting myself in better position to make a tackle and to be able to read their play and know what’s coming.
Baugh said the 6-0, 222-pounder should get a chance to continue his football career on the next level.
“I would say definitely — for sure he should play college football,” Baugh said. “His size is somewhat prototypical for a college linebacker. His size and strength is very good for that position.
“And once coaches get video on him they’ll see how he sees what’s happening in front of him and around him and react to all of that. To me, that’s the most impressive thing that he does. His reaction time is outstanding.”
Mayfield said he realizes his role as a team leader and tries to fill that role in any way needed.
“I lead by my actions — by example,” Mayfield said. “But I like to talk, too. I like to get my guys fired up and ready to go.
“We have a very good team this year. It’s a special group of guys. And we’re going to the Superdome. We’re going to get a state championship. That’s our goal and I’m willing to do whatever it takes, whatever I have to do, to help make that happen.”
