Another stop on the spring practice tour led me to Stephenson High School to check out the Jaguars as they prepare for their upcoming spring game. Once again, the Jaguars are a talented team with a lot of depth and key players at important positions. Head coach Marcus Jelks and defensive line coach/recruiting coordinator Rockshawn McNeil (AKA Coach Rock) are big parts of the program. Let’s take a look at Stephenson.
Players to watch:
EDGE KJ Green- This goes without saying. He is one of the top players in the country in the 2027 class. This offseason, he has been working on improving his craft via speed training in the offseason and practice with the track team. You can see it in how quick his first step is and all the attention he demands in practice. The next phase of his game will be consistently beating double teams because of his talent, more of those are going to come for Green as offenses gear up to slow down the elite prospect.
DL Sergio Mason- One of the leaders of this group heading into his final season, and definitely holds his guys accountable. He is beginning to carve a name for himself. He constantly moved past the offensive line with ease and recorded two sacks in the spring practice scrimmage.
CB Aaryn Chastian- A player who is making a name for himself on the gridiron and already beginning to turn heads. He is a really good press corner and adept at knocking off the timing of the receiver on routes. He made one play in practice, closing down on the ball fast and hitting the receiver as soon as he caught it. His head coach, Markus Jelks describes him well.
“Just that he’s a natural, he’s a natural football player. You know, those basic football movements that you see with a lot of the guys, to be that young and be that fluid on both sides of the ball, high football IQ. He just stands out because it’s physique. He’s working hard in the weight room. He’s taking the coaching and he’s just getting better at a fast level,” said Jelks.
LB Marquise Briscoe- Briscoe made a play that caught your eye instantly. He was flying to the ball in the box and made the play of the day in spring practice. Briscoe saw a screen play developing and immediately turned to the ball, knocking the receiver off course and forcing a fumble. Briscoe will be a name to watch for the Jaguars this season.
QB Zabrian Boler- Boler is an athletic dual-threat quarterback with a ton of upside. Boler coming to Stephenson will only help his game and development, and he has the ability to flourish in this offense. He is 6’3-6’4 and moves really well. A thing that caught my eye was his poise. Despite the defensive line being disruptive, he remained level-headed and still made great throws down the field.
I think his head coach said it best about Boler.
“He’s going to be special. So we’re looking for good things with him. We have two years with him. And so we think he’s gonna be a big-time prospect. A lot of people don’t know about him yet, but we know this season,” said Jelks. “He’ll be on a lot of college boards. But yeah, he runs well and throws it well. He competes. So, just trying to get a winning mentality inside him, which he kind of already has. This is why he came here because he wanted us to get something more out of him. But he throws it really well, can run really well, nice stature. Showing us leadership qualities, so I’m really, really excited about him.”
WR Noah Mahoney- Mahoney made some plays in practice, and going against Chastain will only make him better. He caught a touchdown in the scrimmage against the defense on 4th and long, torching another Stephenson defender for an easy pitch and catch touchdown. The upside is
Not in attendance were running backs Anthony Booker (family) and Jayden Johnson (track and field state championships). They will be a big part of what the Jaguars are doing in 2025.
Stephenson head coach Marcus Jelks talked about his thoughts on the team through the first two weeks of spring practice.
“Guys are getting after it, man. I’m seeing a lot of growth in these first couple of weeks with some of the young guys. I’m really excited about it. But you know, he’s gonna continue getting better. Get ready for this spring game for sure.
Stephenson is another team that has a lot of young talent that they will depend on this upcoming season. Players will have to step up in new roles for this team to have a chance to win a title.
“Michael Miller Jr, who is going to be a sophomore receiver. Definitely Aaron Chastain, who’s become a national kid this spring. WR Noah Mahoney, know, really skilled guys that are really catching our eye this spring. We got our D-line. We kind of know what that is already. They improved on expectations from last year. Those are some of the guys to watch,” said Jelks.
On the leadership from his veteran guys led by Emari Green, KJ Green and Sergio Mason.
“The work level. They compete every single rep, every single day, every single drill. They come out here to compete. Emari Green as well. Emari is another one who’s going to be an overall team captain. We expect the big things out of those guys. I am super excited for them. It’s going to be a huge year for them. I’m just excited for the season to get started and see those guys turn it loose.
The Jaguars lost in the state semifinals to the eventual state champion Calhoun. Coach Jelks talked about what the message has been to his team after getting so close last year.
“The message for this group is just to keep your head down and continue to grind. We want to get a little bit better every day. And that’s been the message for the last four years. Just continue to get better day by day, and the results will find themselves. You know what I mean? They’ll stack up. We’ll continue doing the same things we’ve been doing, and we’ll continue to improve.
The Jaguars will be in action against Stephenson in the spring game next week. Both are really good teams and will be great tests to see where they are at. Coach Jelks chimed in on what he wanted to see.
“Execution, really. We’re going to focus on effort. We’re going to focus on executing the things that they learn throughout these 10 days in the spring. And it’s going to give us a great chance to evaluate and see what we’ve got going into the summer, getting ready for the fall. So I really just want to see them go out there and compete and get after it and show us their best. And then we’ll let the chips fall where they may,” said Jelks.
Loading ...
