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Last season, Stu Jeck led the St. Mary’s Colgan Panthers from his wide receiver spot, earning first-team All-Crawford-Neosho-Cherokee League honors in the process.
This year, it’s Tyler’s turn.
The senior split end, and Stu’s younger brother, has caught 21 passes for 509 yards and seven touchdowns on the year. Perhaps most importantly, he’s helped to fill a leadership void left behind by Stu’s graduated senior class.
“Tyler is just a great leader for us,” said Colgan coach Chuck Smith. “He’s led the team all year long. You know, if you have a school full of Tyler Jecks, you’ve got a really good group.”
And a versatile one. Against Sedan, Jeck caught three passes for 37 yards and a touchdown, returned a punt 68 yards for a score and recovered a fumble on defense.
“Things definitely went my way tonight,” Tyler said after the win against the Blue Devils. “There were some perfect passes that made everything easy, and on the punt, everybody did a great job of making their blocks.”
About the only thing he didn’t do was serve popcorn from the concession stands.
“We wouldn’t want him doing that,” Smith quipped. “His dad or somebody might work in there. But we need Tyler out here.”
On the field, Jeck’s value has been as a field-stretcher offensively. He averages more than 24 yards per catch and is always a threat to go the distance. Defensively, Jeck is a player who always finds himself around the ball, as evidenced by his five fumble recoveries and three interceptions. He’s also a big playmaker on special teams, where, despite only returning four punts, Jeck has two touchdowns.
“He’s very athletic, he has good speed, and he’s good at so many things,” Smith said.
Smith said that the relationship between the Jeck brothers inspired Tyler to play well.
“That can be really hard on a kid,” Smith said. “Of course, we went through that with my sons as they came through here. It’s not easy.
“But I think Tyler has always been proud of his brother,” Smith said. “He was a big fan and really wanted Stu to have success. And now, Stu can be proud of Tyler too. They’re extremely supportive of each other, and they’ve been good teammates in the past.”
But this year, Tyler said Stu’s absence gave him a chance to shine.
“I really worked hard to get better,” Tyler said. “When we lost last year, it hurt pretty bad. We just want to keep going and win state.”
Last season, Stu Jeck led the St. Mary’s Colgan Panthers from his wide receiver spot, earning first-team All-Crawford-Neosho-Cherokee League honors in the process.
This year, it’s Tyler’s turn.
The senior split end, and Stu’s younger brother, has caught 21 passes for 509 yards and seven touchdowns on the year. Perhaps most importantly, he’s helped to fill a leadership void left behind by Stu’s graduated senior class.
“Tyler is just a great leader for us,” said Colgan coach Chuck Smith. “He’s led the team all year long. You know, if you have a school full of Tyler Jecks, you’ve got a really good group.”
And a versatile one. Against Sedan, Jeck caught three passes for 37 yards and a touchdown, returned a punt 68 yards for a score and recovered a fumble on defense.
“Things definitely went my way tonight,” Tyler said after the win against the Blue Devils. “There were some perfect passes that made everything easy, and on the punt, everybody did a great job of making their blocks.”
About the only thing he didn’t do was serve popcorn from the concession stands.
“We wouldn’t want him doing that,” Smith quipped. “His dad or somebody might work in there. But we need Tyler out here.”
On the field, Jeck’s value has been as a field-stretcher offensively. He averages more than 24 yards per catch and is always a threat to go the distance. Defensively, Jeck is a player who always finds himself around the ball, as evidenced by his five fumble recoveries and three interceptions. He’s also a big playmaker on special teams, where, despite only returning four punts, Jeck has two touchdowns.
“He’s very athletic, he has good speed, and he’s good at so many things,” Smith said.
Smith said that the relationship between the Jeck brothers inspired Tyler to play well.
“That can be really hard on a kid,” Smith said. “Of course, we went through that with my sons as they came through here. It’s not easy.
“But I think Tyler has always been proud of his brother,” Smith said. “He was a big fan and really wanted Stu to have success. And now, Stu can be proud of Tyler too. They’re extremely supportive of each other, and they’ve been good teammates in the past.”
But this year, Tyler said Stu’s absence gave him a chance to shine.
“I really worked hard to get better,” Tyler said. “When we lost last year, it hurt pretty bad. We just want to keep going and win state.”
